How I Met A Spy
by strikerstories
Summary: Ted finds himself thrown in to a completely new world, where superpowers are real. Complete AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hey people! I've wanted to write a HIMYM fanfiction for a long time, so here it is!  
Strictly AU.**

* * *

 _Kids, I never told you this, but back in the summer of 2007, your Uncle Barney and I got caught up in a secret government investigation.  
You see, it all started at McLarens..._

"Guys, you see that woman over there?" Barney asked as he sauntered over to the booth while gesturing towards the bar.

Ted, Marshall, Lily and Robin all looked over to the bar. Sitting on one of the stools, was a gorgeous young woman in her early twenties. She had hair blacker than the night sky, eyes as green as freshly cut grass, and skin just as flawless and creamy. She wore a black leather jacket, dark washed jeans and black crop top.

"Wow!" Ted and Marshall exclaimed.

"Who is she?" Lily asked, rather flirtatiously.

 _Kids, even your Aunt Lily was attracted to this woman. It was crazy how quickly she had been attracted to her._

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!" Barney proclaimed.

"Wait, hold on a minute, Barney. What if she has a boyfriend?" Robin asked, holding Barney back by the sleeve of his suit.

"Please," Barney scoffed, shrugging Robins hand off of him to adjust his suit.

"A woman like that wouldn't come in to a bar if she had a boyfriend. The word single is just screaming off of her!"

Barney looked back over at the woman, who at this point, was cuddled up to a man not much older than her. He too was rather handsome; with tanned skin, coal black hair and piercing blue eyes. A hint of a five o clock shadow graced his chiseled features.

"Damn it!" Barney whined.

"Wait, that could just be some guy trying to hit on her!" Ted reassured.

"Or maybe its' her brother?" Robin asked, lightly twirling her hair.

Barney and the gang looked back over. The couple seemed to look rather platonic, if not, mutual. There were no romantic gestures, nor little kisses. Barney adjusted his tie as he watched the man stand up, adjust his own leather jacket, and then exit the bar.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going in," Barney announced.

"Wait, Barney, don't you think that you should..." But Barney ignored Marshall as he headed on over.

As Barney got closer, he saw just how green those womans eyes were. They almost looked... unnatural. He had never seen a color like them before. Taking a deep breath, he leaned up on the bar and faced her. Instantly, he felt intimidated. The way she looked at him made him want to run away screaming. She looked like she wanted to murder him.

No! Barney Stinson does not let women intimidate him!

"Hi..." Barney stopped as his eyes wandered to her chest. They were at least a 32 C cup. And the rest of her body... yowza! You just knew she was totally in to working out!

"Can I help you?" The woman asked.

Dear god, even her voice sounded intimidating!

"Sorry, wrong person," Barney spoke with an embarrassed laugh, then proceeded to high tail it back to the booth.

"I can't do it. I can't do it! She scares me! Ted, Ted, you- you do it!" Barney stuttered, slowly sitting in the booth.

"W-what? That's ridiculous! Barney, how can she scare you?" Ted scoffed.

Barney took a deep breath, then looked back at the woman. She nursed a scotch on the rocks. He whipped his head back around to stare at Ted.

"Ted, please, I'm just asking you, as my bro! Please! Take this challenge from me!" Barney begged.

"Nobody challenged you," Robin, Marshall and Lily muttered as Ted scratched his head while looking at the woman.

There was a brief moment of pause between the gang before Ted sighed, placed his hands on the table, then rose to his feet.

"Fine. I'll go, but only because I think she's hot!" Ted explained, then walked on over; the gang watching.

Once Ted was up and close, he too noticed how unnatural her green eyes were. But it didn't bother him for too long, nor did her intimidating aura.

"Excuse me," Ted started with a little wave.

The woman looked up.

"Yes?" She spoke.

For a moment, Ted was stunned. Wow... she was gorgeous. He quickly snapped out of it.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but my friend was over here earlier and he tried to talk to you, but you kind of scared him," Ted explained.

The woman smiled.

"I tend to have that affect on people," She replied.

Nodding, Ted sat down beside her.

"I'm Ted," He introduced.

"Elizabeth," She replied and stuck out her hand.

Ted grasped it in a (shockingly) firm handshake. Wow, that was quite a grip for someone with small hands. He took careful notice of it. It didn't look like a dainty hand of a woman. Her nails were short, and her hands were calloused. They were the hands of a hard worker.

"So, Elizabeth, what brings you here to New York?" Ted asked.

"Business, mostly," She replied.

"Oh really? What kind of business are you in?" Ted asked, rather intrigued.

"That's kind of private information..." Elizabeth started.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pry," Ted apologized. "Where did you come here from?"

"Toronto, Canada," She replied.

And just like that, Teds face beamed! He looked over at Robin and mouthed the words "She's from Canada!"

Robin, clearly able to understand this, began to flip out. She had to meet this woman! She got up and dashed on over.

"I'm sorry, did you say that you were from Canada?" Robin asked, butting in.

Elizabeth turned around and noticed Robin. Instantly, a smile came across her face.

"No... way! You're Robin Sparkles!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

Ted let out a little high pitched giggle as Robin glared daggers at him. He was quick to shut up.

"Yeah, no big deal," Robin spoke, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

"I was a huge fan of yours when I was little!" Elizabeth drooled.

"Wow, really?" Robin asked, somewhat flattered.

 _That is, she was for about five seconds before Elizabeth said..._

"Yeah, I made fun of how cheesy you were," Elizabeth finished.

 _And just like that, your Aunt Robins ego deflated._

"Yeah, well, no big deal," Robin spoke, her voice lowered.

Robin trudged on back to the booth. Elizabeth turned her attention back to Ted.

"So, Canada, eh?" Ted spoke up, sipping from his glass.

"Yeah. I've been to New York only once before, but work keeps me from really seeing it," Elizabeth explained.

"I'd really like to take the time to actually tour around."

Ted gave a small grin, then he looked at Barney. A plan was brewing in his brain.

"Did you come here with anyone? My friend Barney and I would love to take you two for a tour. You see, I'm an architect, and I could show you all the amazing buildings here, and well Barney, he knows all the hot spots that make New York... New York," Ted offered.

Elizabeth smiled. Wow, it was a beautiful smile, and not at all intimidating.

"Well, my business partner is the only one that I came here with. He was here a few minutes ago, but he had to go catch up on some stuff before we turned in for the night. I told him that if we had some extra time, we should tour New York together," Elizabeth explained.

Huh, so the man that were here earlier was just a business associate. That made sense.

"Well, invite him along. We'd love to be your tour guides," Ted explained.

"I dunno... I got the feeling that your friend Barney wanted to get some one on one time with me, if you know what I mean," Elizabeth explained through sucked teeth.

Ted looked over at Barney and the others, who just stared at the interaction between the two. Ted knew that Barney would be crushed if this didn't turn in to a double date. Hmm, maybe Ted could hook Barney up with someone. Nah, that was a bad idea.

"Oh, I do have a cute single friend who is living here. I could invite her," Elizabeth explained.

"That's perfect! What's her name?" Ted asked.

"Lila Johnson."

"No way." Ted knew who that was. And he knew that Barney would know who that was.

 _Kids, before your time, Lila Johnson was a high class fashion model living in New York. She was every where, and she was someone that your Uncle Barney could only dream of being close to._

"We would love to have her join us. Here's my number. Give me a call when you're ready to see New York," Ted explained and wrote down his number on a napkin; handing it over to Elizabeth when he was done scribbling it down.

"Thanks, Ted."

"Oh, and you can still bring your business partner if you want. You don't want to break your promise," Ted told her.

Elizabeth nodded, thanked him, got up from her stool, then walked out of the bar. Ted headed on back to the booth.

"So, so, how'd it go?" Barney asked.

"Yeah, was she as scary as Barney made her out to be?" Lily asked.

"Actually, she was rather nice," Ted began explaining as he took his seat at the booth. "Get this. She's friends with Lila Johnson."

Barney, Robin, Lily and Marshall let out a gasp of surprise.

"Ted, do you realize what you have done!? I FINALLY GET TO MEET THE MODEL OF MY DREAMS!" Barney screamed at the top of his lungs.

He was so excited! Lila Johnson was **the hottest** and definitely **the most** available woman in New York City! Barney began to hyperventilate, which was accompanied by some drooling. Lily looked at him with disgust while Marshall looked on with concern. Robin simply rolled her eyes and Ted began to calm Barney down. Oh man, this was going to be so much fun!

* * *

 **Meanwhile across New York City...**

Elizabeth entered her hotel room, where her business partner sat at the desk, typing away on his laptop.

"Hey beautiful, what took you so long?" He asked, getting up from his seat and walking over to her. He planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Well, I met some guys at the bar, and one of them gave me his number," Elizabeth casually replied.

"What?"

"I love you, Joshua," Elizabeth chuckled.

She walked on over to the dresser to pull out her pajamas, then proceeded to get changed.

"You let a guy give you his number?" Joshua asked.

"Hey, he offered to give Lila and I a tour of New York City," Elizabeth replied.

"Aw, was I not invited?"

"You can still come."

Joshua chuckled.

"That's what she..."

"Don't!"

Joshua went silent. He and Elizabeth stared at each other for a moment; silence hanging over them.

"Just do it," Elizabeth grinned.

With a smile, Joshua came at her, tackled her to the bed, and the two began to make sweet passionate love.

* * *

 **At Teds apartment...**

"I still can't believe that I'm going to meet Lila Johnson!" Barney continued to rave.

At this point, even Ted began to roll his eyes.

"Okay, Barney, I know you're excited, but you've got to calm down. You have no idea what she's going to be like," Ted tried explaining.

"Sure I do. Six feet tall with double Ds bouncing up and down," Barney shrugged.

Again, Ted rolled his eyes.

"What I mean is, you don't know what her personality is like. Models can be vicious," Ted explained as he sat down on the couch.

"Teds right, Barney. Women like her could reject you faster than you could ask them out," Lily chimed in from the kitchen.

"Man, if I had the opportunity to meet a model like that, I'd probably pee my pants," Marshall spoke up with a nervous chuckle.

"Marshall, you'd pee your pants if any woman hotter than Lily came up to you," Barney retorted.

"But you're still hot, Lily," Barney finished.

Lily just nodded at his remark.

"Okay, fashion model aside, how weird is Elizabeth?" Ted asked.

"What do you mean? She's hot!" Barney exclaimed.

"Well... I mean, yeah, she's gorgeous, but did you see her eyes? That was a really unnatural color," Ted remarked.

"What color did you compare them to?" Marshall asked.

Ted thought for a moment.

"You know how when you see a cat and sometimes they have just piercing green eyes?"

Everyone nodded.

"They looked like that."

Lily and Marshall chuckled.

"That's ridiculous. Nobody has eyes green like a cats," Marshall scoffed.

"Oh, but she did," Ted interrupted, his hand slowly rising and lowering the bottle that he held.

He thought back to Elizabeth when they were in the bar. He remembered how she acted around Barney, but immediately softened up around Ted. It was like she knew that Barney was no good; that he had bad intentions. But with Ted... it was like she knew that he was a good guy. And he hadn't really done all that much to prove that he was a nice guy.

Yup, there was definitely something different about Elizabeth. Ted just hoped that he got to know what it was when she decided to get in touch with him.

 _Kids, she messaged me the next day._

* * *

 **To Be Continued.  
**

 **So, I haven't been on fanfiction in years, and this is the fandom that I decided to get back in the game with.**

 **If you like where this is going so far, be sure to follow, and leave a review or just your thoughts down below!**


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning, Elizabeth rolled out of bed and got ready for the day. After a quick shower with Joshua, the two got dressed when Lila called.

"Hey, I got your voicemail last night. You're in New York?" Lila asked.

"Yeah. I'm here on an assignment, but I have some time to tour around beforehand and thought you'd like to join Joshua and I along with some cute guys that you could possibly be interested in, because you know... you're single," Elizabeth explained over the phone.

"Uh, totally! I'll meet you soon," Lila replied.

After hanging up, Elizabeth messaged Ted.

 **It's Elizabeth from last night. Meet at McLarens in half an hour?**

As Elizabeth waited for a text, she and Joshua read over their assignment.

"I don't get it. We're supposed to be tracking down a criminal that has never been seen?" Joshua asked.

"Not seen, but definitely heard. Apparently they're getting too noisy with activity," Elizabeth confirmed.

"Huh. The question is where do we look for a guy that doesn't want to be found?"

"Who knows."

Elizabeths phone vibrated, indicating that a text message had come through. It was Ted.

 **Sounds great! See you there!**

"Hey, are you sure it's a good idea to be going on a tour of New York with some strange guy that you met at a bar last night?" Joshua asked, adjusting his leather jacket.

The two left their hotel room and began walking down to the foyer.

"Why? You jealous?" Elizabeth teased.

Joshua gave her a mock frown.

"No. But what if there's something dirty about them?"

"The only one who seemed even remotely dirty was the blonde guy that tried hitting on me earlier," Elizabeth remarked.

Joshua rolled his eyes.

"I still think we should do a background check," Joshua insisted.

"Fine. Go ahead. Hey, which McLarens was it again?" Elizabeth asked, reading the text message from Lila.

"Oh uh, the one on the West Side," Joshua remembered.

Elizabeth began texting her friend, not realizing that there was a red light at the crosswalk. She kept walking and texting when she suddenly stopped what she was doing, jumped four feet in the air and jumped out of the way of an oncoming car that was headed straight for her!

"Get out of the road!" The driver yelled.

"Crazy bitch!" Another yelled.

"What the hell..!" A few people exclaimed.

Elizabeth pocketed her cell phone and made it to the other side of the street, where she waited for Joshua to cross. When he came on over, he looked at her with annoyance.

"Geez babe, you really can't help yourself, can you?" He asked with annoyance.

Elizabeth just shrugged.

"It's not my fault that I have abilities."

"But it was your fault for almost causing an accident," Joshua reminded her.

"Nobody got hurt. Calm down."

Joshua took a sharp inhale through his teeth, held his breath for a second, then let it out before following Elizabeth. They finally reached McLarens and they entered. Joshua went straight to the bar to order some breakfast, while Elizabeth went over to the booth that Ted and Barney were currently sitting at. Seeing Elizabeth, Ted beamed. Uh -oh, she knew that look. It was the same look that Joshua gave her every time he saw her. It was the look that made Joshua say three words to her the day they began a relationship.

She had to be careful around Ted and make sure not to lead him on... although that was no problem for her, considering her brutal honesty.

"Hey," Ted greeted as he stood up from his seat at the booth.

"Hey. Thanks for the offer again," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah, no problem," Ted said and the two sat down. Elizabeth sat at the end, while Ted and Barney sat across from each other.

Barney looked around anxiously.

"So, where is she? Where's your friend?" Barney asked.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"She's coming. Chill."

Barney groaned.

"Chill? You're telling me to chill? Lady, I am the definition of chill. If you look it up in the dictionary, you'll see a little picture of me in it," Barney spouted.

"Alright." Elizabeth pulled out her cell phone... or... what Ted and Barney assumed was a cell phone. It looked a bit advanced for the year 2007.

She tapped on the screen, then read it before turning it over to Barney. Barney looked at the phone. It was sleek and shiny, and instead of it being a flip phone, it was just a rectangle screen with icons and words on it. What kind of phone was that? Putting that aside, he read the words in front of it. It was the definition of chill and there was no photo of Barney on it.

"Alright, so you called my bluff!" Barney confessed.

Ted chuckled, as did Elizabeth. Joshua came over and sat down by Ted; passing over breakfast to Elizabeth.

"Hi, I'm Joshua Reynolds. I'm Elizabeths' business partner," Joshua introduced himself.

Barney groaned inwardly. This guy was going to be cramping his style! He was attractive, to say the least and Barney, who was a man that exuded confidence in his appearance, felt insecure in that moment. He quickly shrugged it off.

"Business partner? What does that even mean?" Barney scoffed as he brought his glass of scotch to his lips.

"It means we work together. We work for... Carmichael Industries," Joshua spoke; subtly glancing over at Elizabeth.

"Carmichael Industries? The biggest tech company in Canada?" Ted asked.

"Yeah. We're going around recruiting people to join," Joshua continued.

As Ted, Elizabeth and Joshua continued talking about the business that they worked for, Barney kept glancing over at the door. Where was she!? He was interrupted when he heard Elizabeth's phone go off. Looking at her screen, Elizabeth looked a little down.

"What's wrong?" Ted asked.

"It's Lila... she can't make it. Something came up," Elizabeth responded.

Barney groaned inwardly, lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut. This could not be happening right now! Another text tone went off. This time, it was Joshua's phone. He groaned.

"Our boss just sent me some new information," Joshua told Elizabeth.

"Do I want to know what it is?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'll text you the details on my way to where I have to go. Don't keep her away for too long," Joshua said to Ted, stood up, walked over to Elizabeth, gave her a curt nod, then exited the bar.

There was a brief pause of silence. Barney and Ted were left alone with a really hot woman, who, despite her best friend not showing up, was now available to be competition between Ted and Barney. One of them was going home with her tonight!

"So, how about we start with the Empire State Building?" Ted suggested.

"Oh come on, Ted! Lizzie doesn't want to see that boring thing! New York is..."

"Call me Lizzie one more time..." Elizabeth stopped Barney; her tone low and harsh.

"I'm sorry?" Barney asked, not sure if he heard her correctly.

He looked at her intensely, and saw a dark look in her piercing green eyes. They made him shudder.

"The only person allowed to call me that, is my father," Elizabeth explained.

Again, Barney shuddered, but for different reasons this time. He could tell that this woman did not have daddy issues. In fact, it sounded like she admired her father. Rats! She was already getting Teds attention more than his! Not cool.

"W-well o-okay then. S-sorry," Barney stuttered.

Damn it! Why did she intimidate him so much!?

"Uh okay, well then how about we go to the Rockefeller?" Ted suggested.

"Ooh, yeah and then maybe we can listen to your boring rants about the structure of the buildings," Barney spoke with sarcasm.

Elizabeth read a text on her phone, then proceeded to say:

"The Rockefeller sounds great! Let's go there."

The three got up from the booth and proceeded to leave the bar. Walking outside, Ted hailed a cab and the three got in. When they arrived at the Rockefeller Center, Barney tried to make his move.

"So, Elizabeth, what's your deal with that hunk of muscle?" Barney asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Your business associate... Jason?"

"Joshua."

"Right, whatever. Are you... in to him?" Barney asked.

Elizabeth scoffed.

"Joshua? No way. He's a bit pretentious."

 _Kids, that's what Barney swore he heard. But what Elizabeth really said was..._

"Joshua? Well... he is pretty hot."

Ted stifled a chuckle while Barney just listened with fake interest. Ted knew that Barney had no idea what Elizabeth really said. It was making for some great comedy. The way she bantered with Barney kept Ted even more interested in her. He was going to find out if the two were really an item or not, then make his move. It was way more subtle than Barneys play.

"Oh hey look! Lego!" Ted exclaimed, pointing at the Lego Store.

Lego?! Why on earth would he point that out?

"Lego?! Oh, awesome! My little brother loves Lego!" Elizabeth exclaimed and began rushing towards the store.

Ted and Barney tried to keep up with her.

"Really, Ted? Lego? What are you, twelve?" Barney asked with annoyance.

"I was just trying to keep things interesting! Lego was the first thing that popped in to my head!" Ted defended himself.

"Ted, I swear, if this woman has any interest in dating one of us, let me tell you, it's not going to you or your stupid Lego obsession!" Barney growled and bolted after Elizabeth, leaving Ted behind.

Ted stopped in his tracks.

"It's not an obsession. It helps keep my creativity going," Ted muttered to himself, then proceeded in to the Lego store.

* * *

A while later, Elizabeth, Barney and Ted found themselves at the top of the Empire State Building. Ted and Elizabeth were overlooking the city, while Barney stood the side watching them; scowling. For the rest of the 'tour of New York City', Ted had been scoring more points with Elizabeth than Barney had. She just wasn't interested in him... and many women were! She was such a challenge! Pouting, Barney continued sulking.

"So... do you have anyone special in your life?" Ted asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth took a sharp inhale, before letting it out.

"It's... complicated. Joshua and I... we act like we're a couple a lot of the times. For the most part, it seems like we are. But then... I dunno," Elizabeth stopped.

"What? What is it?" Ted asked, genuinely curious.

Elizabeth sighed.

"It's just that... some times he drives me crazy. He worries so much about my safety, but I can handle myself just fine. I don't need protecting. It feels like he's smothering me some times," Elizabeth confessed.

"I know what that's like. I've had girlfriends worry about where I am, what I'm doing... who I'm doing," Ted began explaining.

"Uh... that sounds more like insecure little brats who are major time stalkers," Elizabeth remarked.

Ted cracked a smile, then let out a chuckle.

"Yeah.. didn't realize that until long after those break ups."

It was Elizabeths' turn to let out a chuckle. Then, she glanced around the area. It seemed that she noticed something in her peripherals.

"Are... are you okay?" Ted asked.

She didn't answer him; just looked around intensely. She was quiet; glancing around. She was listening for something.

"Barney?" Elizabeth called out.

There was no answer.

"Barney, where are you?"

Still nothing.

"Where did Barney go?" Elizabeth asked.

"I..." Ted glanced around. Where was Barney?"

"I don't... know. Huh. That's weird. He wouldn't leave without saying something," Ted spoke up.

Elizabeth took a sharp inhale, then let it out just as quickly.

"What's wrong?" Ted asked.

"Text him."

Ted pulled out his phone and texted Barney without further questions. Where did he go? After he sent the text, the two waited for a moment before Elizabeth moved through the group of people; Ted following close behind. Shoving someone aside, Elizabeth bent down and picked up a phone... Barneys' phone. She took it and stood up, showing it to Ted.

"Barney..?" Ted was confused.

Just then, the fire alarms went off. Elizabeth covered her ears from the noise as Ted began to follow procedure to exit. But with the amount of people at the top floor of the Empire State Building, it was taking a bit longer than usual to leave.

"Don't worry, it's just a drill," Ted reassured her.

That's not what she was worried about. Elizabeth was worried about Barney. Where was he? Suddenly, there was an explosion and the building shook. People screamed as they were thrown to the ground. Elizabeth stood her ground and caught Ted before he toppled on to a group of people.

"We've got to get out of here!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, but the only way to get out of here is down the stairs!" Ted yelled back as another explosion rocked the building.

Elizabeth looked around frantically. Then, she saw a window that had been shattered. Grabbing Ted by the sleeve of his jacket, she dragged him over.

"What are you doing?" Ted yelled.

He saw Elizabeth grab something that was hidden beneath her jacket and pulled it out. It looked like a... gun? Oh god! Why did she have a gun? Ted hated guns! Elizabeth gripped Ted around the waist, shot the gun on a fixture below the window ledge that they were standing, then looked at him.

"Hold on tight."

Ted gripped her tightly around her waist as Elizabeth jumped off the building.

"Aaaah!" Ted screamed.

He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to plunge to his death... until he felt a slow descent towards the ground below. Opening his eyes, he looked upward. The gun that Elizabeth held was a grappling hook gun; with the grappling taking them down the side of the Empire State Building. By this time, the explosions had stopped; and there was a helicopter coming their way.

"Oh good! Rescue!" Ted exclaimed.

But then, he saw a figure inside the chopper with a big ass gun pointing at them!

"Hold this!" Elizabeth said and gave the grapple hook gun to Ted. She kept an arm strongly across his waist as she pulled out a secondary gun.

What the hell was going on!?

"Don't let go!" Elizabeth ordered Ted.

He didn't dare. She aimed her gun at the man with the gun in the chopper and she squeezed the trigger. The gunman went down. Getting to the ground was taking to long. She had to move fast!

"There's a red button hidden under the bottom of the handle. Press it!" Elizabeth ordered.

Moving his thumb slightly, Ted pressed it. The grapple sent them flying down!

"Aaah!" Ted screamed again. They were going a lot faster! At this rate, he was going to be paste on the sidewalk below!

At about the nine meter mark, Elizabeth grabbed Ted and the gun. The two looked at each other.

"Do you trust me?" Elizabeth asked.

"I kind of have to right now."

"Good. Let go of the gun."

"Are you crazy?! You'll get us killed!"

There was a brief pause before Ted squeezed his eyes shut... and let of the grapple hook gun. He felt his stomach drop with the rest of his body, and he prepared to be scrapped off the sidewalk. Instead, when he opened his eyes, he was slung over Elizabeths shoulder; who was standing on the sidewalk.

She set him on his feet, but Ted found that he was too wobbly to stand.

"I gotta... sit..."

Ted sat down. The sound of sirens and the flashing lights of police cruisers, ambulances, and firetrucks gave him a headache and he cradled his head. His heart was racing a mile a minute, and his head was spinning. One moment, he was at the top of the Empire State Building with his friend and a beautiful woman that he had just met, and the next... he was surrounded by explosions and guns! Whatever happened... happened to fast, because as Ted stood up to talk to Elizabeth, he felt his knees give way and his vision blackened.

 _That was the last thing I remembered, kids._

 _Wow, dad. That really happened to you? Penny asked._

 _Yeah, it really did._

 _Wow dad, this story is way more exciting than any other story you've told! Luke exclaimed._

 _Hey, there's nothing wrong with the stories I've told!_

 _Come on dad, this one is definitely a lot better. Penny stated._

 _Yeah... it is a pretty great story. But it's not over yet._

* * *

 **Teds apartment  
**

When Ted woke up, he was on his own couch. The first thing he saw, were his own two bare feet. What happened to his socks and shoes? The next thing he noticed, was the blanket that covered him. He lifted it up slightly and gave a sigh of relief. He had his pants on... his pajama pants; but still... pants.

Then, he heard soft voices from the kitchen. He looked on over and saw Elizabeth talking on her cell phone with someone. She sighed, then hung up. He watched her turn her back to do something. She tinkered around for a moment, before exiting the kitchen with a mug in her hands. There was steam rising from it. A hot beverage. Coffee? Tea? She walked on over to him.

"You're awake."

Ted slowly sat up, and Elizabeth sat down beside him, then handed him the mug. He looked at it skeptically, then at her. Who was she?

"Are you trying to kill me?" Ted asked, his tone low and serious.

"No. I'm trying to save you." She gestured for him to take the mug.

Again, he looked at it with skepticism.

"What's in this?" He asked.

"It's Chamomile tea. It'll help relax your nerves," Elizabeth spoke.

She spoke softly, in a way that was caring and reassuring. Tentatively, Ted took the mug and took a slow and careful sip. He felt the hot liquid run down his throat, and he basked in it. He took the edge away from his lips, then let out a sigh.

"What happened? How'd I get back here?" Ted asked, finding his strength.

"There was a terrorist attack at the Empire State Building. We got out okay. You were really brave, Ted," Elizabeth explained.

Ted just listened and began to recollect his memories. Then...

"Oh my god, Barney!" Ted cried, panic rising in his chest.

"He's okay. He called me. He ditched his phone at the building because he met some hot chick, and took her home. He's calling Lily, Marshall and Robin, then they're all coming here to make sure you're okay," Elizabeth explained.

Ted let out another sigh of relief. Goddamn it Barney!

"Wait... we were at the top of the Empire State Building."

Elizabeth nodded.

"There was a terrorist attack."

Elizabeth nodded again.

"Someone tried to shoot at us."

Again, Elizabeth nodded. Ted was putting the pieces together.

"You shot them," Ted spoke, his voice thick with fear.

Elizabeth continued to stay silent.

"You got us on the ground. I was slung over your shoulder."

Another pause.

Ted looked at Elizabeth; fear in his eyes. Then, he spoke three words that changed his life forever.

"Who are you?"

Elizabeth took out a badge from the inside of her leather jacket. The words on it were:

 **International Abilities Agency  
Elizabeth J Striker**

 _And that kids, is how I met a spy.  
_

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 **Leave a review below!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**This piece of fanfiction is AU. Any characters of HIMYM I do not own. Unrelated characters are my own creation.**

"Oh my god, Ted!" Lily exclaimed as she entered the apartment.

Marshall trailed past her and rushed over to Ted. Sitting on the couch, Marshall gripped Ted in a tight hug and Ted held him tightly back. Marshalls' heart pounded loudly in his ears as he held his best friend. He could have lost Ted. When Barney had called with the news, Marshall worried greatly for Teds well being. The two released the hug before it got too awkward, then Lily got in to hold him as well. A few minutes following, Robin and Barney arrived. Robin held Ted, then Barney. As the four friends rallied around Ted, Elizabeth stood off in a corner and watched them.

As she looked on, she felt jealously in her heart. She wished that she had that kind of thing going for her. Taking a deep breath, she shifted her weight.

"Ted, we got the call from Barney," Lily began; her voice coated with concern.

"And we heard it on the news," Robin chimed in.

"Buddy, it's a miracle that you're alive," Marshall finished.

"Well, I had some help," Ted looked over at Elizabeth with gratitude in his eyes.

Elizabeth gave a curt nod in return.

"She saved me," Ted told his friends.

Everyone looked to Elizabeth.

"What? I don't understand. How?" Lily asked.

"I'm a government agent. I had a piece of equipment on me that got us out of there rather quickly," Elizabeth replied.

There was a stunned silence in the room. Robin stood up and walked over to Elizabeth and studied her. Then, a light seemed to click on in her brain.

"No..." Robin gasped.

Elizabeth nodded.

"You're part of that agency... this... abilities agency." Robin began.

Elizabeth nodded, then Robin turned around to look at her friends, who stared at her inquisitively.

"There's this agency based in Toronto. They're called the International Abilities Agency. I heard about them when I was Robin Sparkles. They team with up the FBI, CIA, NSA and Interpol," Robin explained.

"Why is it called the International Abilities Agency?" Lily asked.

"Because we're a group of people who can do things that normal people can't. You may have noticed that I look different," Elizabeth began.

They all nodded.

"It's a bit hard to explain. Perhaps it's better than I show it."

 **A couple minutes after dark...**

The lights in the apartment were off. Everything was pitch black. Nobody said a word for a good few minutes. Then, Elizabeth spoke up.

"Somebody make a gesture of sorts."

There was a brief pause. Barney, in his state, flipped Elizabeth the bird; hoping that she wouldn't actually seeing it in the dark.

"Wow, Barney. That's rather rude."

Barney gasped.

Marshall held up seven fingers.

"Seven fingers from Marshall," Elizabeth called from the dark.

Then, Lily pulled up the front of her shirt.

"Nice boobs," Elizabeth remarked.

"Okay, this is too freaky. You can see in the dark?" Lily asked, putting her shirt down.

Elizabeth turned on the lights, causing everyone to groan as they adjusted to it.

"I can." Elizabeth walked over to the piano.

She lifted it up easily with both her hands. Barney stumbled backwards, ready to hit the floor. Elizabeth was over there in a matter of seconds and caught him before he fell. Barney looked at her, stunned.

"This... this is too much. I think I need to get some air," Lily spoke and headed out to the fire escape.

"Wow... you have super powers? Cool," Marshall drooled.

"Eh, I don't prefer the term 'super powers'. We call them 'abilities' instead," Elizabeth explained.

"How come?" Marshall asked.

"It makes us sound less high and mighty."

Marshall nodded. Then he began to geek out.

"So, what else can you do? Can you fly? Can you shape shift or travel through time? Man, that'd be so cool! How'd you get your abilities! What's it like living with them? Do you have an alter ego?" Marshall peppered her with questions.

"I can survive high falls and I have great agility. No, I can't fly. No, I can't shape shift or time travel. Nothing like that exists in our agency. I got them in a car accident when I was a kid. It sucks sometimes, and no, I don't have an alter ego," Elizabeth answered effortlessly; not skipping a beat.

"Wow... that sounds awesome!" Marshall sighed with admiration.

"And a pretty good gunman, too," Ted chimed in.

"Oh my god, you shoot guns?" Robin asked.

Elizabeth pulled it out for Robin to look at. Ted took a giant step back, as did Barney. Marshall stood still and Robin moved forward to look at it.

"May I?" Robin asked.

Elizabeth let her take the gun. Robin held it in her hands.

"Wow, it's a Desert Eagle Mark 1. Pretty nice gun," Robin admired.

"Thanks." Elizabeth took the gun back.

She looked down at her phone. Joshua hadn't texted back since this morning. She was worried about him.

"So, what are you doing here, Elizabeth?" Ted asked.

"Joshua and I came down here on an assignment. There's a criminal organization that's gotten a bit noisy with activity. We came here to handle it..."

Elizabeth looked down at her phone.

"He went to go and follow up on a lead that our superior gave us, and he hasn't gotten back to me since this morning," Elizabeth finished.

She was worried. Was he okay?

"Do you think he's okay?" Ted asked

"I don't know..."

There was a brief pause.

"I've got to go."

Before anyone could say anything, Elizabeth left the apartment.

Another pause.

"So, who's up for drinks at McLarens. Robins buying!" Barney spoke up.

"Barney, this is serious stuff okay. Ted could have been killed and all you want to do is drink?" Robin asked, annoyed with Barney.

"Yeah man come on. Ted needs a break," Marshall defended.

"Uh yeah he does, by drinking so much and getting so drunk, that he forgets all about what happened today!" Barney exclaimed.

"Barney, that's really not the best idea..."Robin began to protest.

"Barneys right. Let's go. Let me get dressed first," Ted said.

He stood up, pushed the blanket off of his shoulders, and ran up to his bedroom. It took only two minutes for him to dress, at which point, Lily came back and the five went downstairs to McLarens.

Out on the streets, around the corner from McLarens, Elizabeth was on her cell phone tracing Joshuas' phone activity. He had been all over the place today, but his last known location was at Staten Islands Seaview Hospital.

Wasn't that place abandoned?

She felt her stomach churn. Something wasn't right. She had to get to him. But... she had no idea how to get to Staten Island. She opened up the internet on her phone, but by the time she typed it in the search engine, her battery died.

"Damn it!" Elizabeth cried.

She gripped her phone in anger before she calmed down. She had to get to Joshua and take down the bastards that she came here to deal with in the first place. She headed down the alley behind her to get back to the main road. As she walked down it, she saw a tall blonde man with a woman. It was Barney! Elizabeth held back a moment, making sure that she didn't need to jump in before assessing the situation. It looked like he was trying to get her back to his place.

Ugh, Barney was disgusting. Elizabeth got a closer look at the woman he was with using her heightened sense of vision. The woman was tall, leggy and a redhead. She was a bit too busty (they were probably fake), and she was curvaceous. Then, Elizabeth noticed a tattoo on the womans ankle. Oh no, that wasn't just a tattoo... it was a gangs tattoo... most specifically...

Elizabeth felt her stomach churn again. They already found out who Elizabeth had been with. The terrorist attack was a set up. Elizabeth stuck to the shadows as she quietly made her way up to Barney and the woman.

"So, we can go back to my place. Have some wine- listen to some music," Barney spoke.

"I'd like that," The woman spoke.

She spoke in a rather sultry voice. Elizabeth shuddered.

"But first, there's something that I want," The woman said.

"Anything, you got it babe," Barney said.

There was a pause. Then, Elizabeth saw the woman grab a knife, push Barney against the wall and pressed the blade to his neck.

"Where's Agent Striker!?" The woman demanded.

"I don't know! Please, don't hurt me!" Barney pleaded.

"Tell me where she is! We know she's been in contact with you and your friend! Tell me, and I won't hurt you!" The woman demanded.

Elizabeth held back. She couldn't attack yet; not without knowing if this woman would keep her word.

"Last I saw her, she was just outside the bar," Barney replied.

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know! Please..." Barney begged.

The woman paused and sighed. It seemed to her that Barney was no help.

"Maybe your friend will be of better use."

Elizabeth jumped in. She stepped out of the shadows, gripped the woman by the shoulder to spin her around, then struck her fist in to the womans jaw. She crashed to the ground.

Elizabeth looked at Barney. He was sweating in his suit. A light trickle of blood ran down his neck, and there was dirt on his forehead. His blonde hair was slightly disheveled; like how Ted normally styled his hair.

"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ted's in trouble!" Barney replied, then bolted back in to the bar.

Elizabeth followed him. Lily, Marshall and Robin were at their usual booth, but she didn't see Ted anywhere!

"Hey, where did Ted go?" Barney asked, approaching the booth.

"What are you talking about? He just went back upstairs with the chick that you set him up with," Robin replied.

Elizabeth bolted, as did Barney. The others looked on in confusion. Now what?

Coming up to the apartment, Elizabeth knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"Ted?" She called out.

Nothing.

She jiggled the handle, but the door was locked. She heard a loud crash coming from inside. She kicked the door down and bolted in just in time to see a man and a woman in the apartment with Ted, who had been knocked to the ground.

"Hey!" Elizabeth yelled.

They turned to look at her.

"I believe it's me that you want."

The woman lunged at Elizabeth, who casually sidestepped, then performed a roundhouse kick. The woman crumpled to the floor. The giant burly man didn't have a chance to attack, as Elizabeth gripped him tightly around the collar of his shirt, and threw a mighty punch. Ted winched as he heard bones snap against cartlidge.

"What have you done with my partner?!" Elizabeth demanded.

The man gave her a sickening grin.

"We killed him. That loser didn't have a chance on his own."

Ted saw a look of grief in Elizabeths green eyes, then he watched as they grew dark... metaphorically speaking. Ted didn't have a good feeling about this. He didn't want to know what Elizabeth would do to this guy. Grabbing his lamp, Ted picked it up and sent it crashing down on the assailants head. He slumped to the floor. Adrenaline shook Teds body.

"What the hell was that for?!" Elizabeth cried.

"You looked like you were going to kill him!"

"That was the plan! He had my partner murdered!"

"Well I'd rather not let that happen!"

The two stood in silence, tension rising between them. Barney was on his phone with the police, informing them of the attack in Teds apartment. Elizabeth trudged over to Ted, a look of anger in her eyes. Ted wanted to be scared; wanted to run away from her as she approached. Instead, Ted held his ground as Elizabeth got right up in his face. She would be a bit shorter if her combat boots didn't have lifts in them.

"Look, I know I can't understand what you're feeling right now, but I know that you need to keep your head on straight. I'd be devastated too if someone I loved was killed, but I know that revenge isn't the answer. Please, can you do that?" Ted said to Elizabeth, his voice calm and soothing.

Elizabeth didn't say anything. She just stared at Ted with hard eyes before they filled with tears. Eventually, she dropped her gun and her cries became more gut wrenching. Collapsing on Teds couch, the young woman covered her face with her hands as she continued crying. Barney, disgusted at the sight of seeing a woman cry, took his leave, but not before mentioning that the police were on their way.

With just the two of them in his apartment, Ted sat by Elizabeth and wrappes his left arm over her shoulder, and he pulled her close. He hardly knew her. She was practically a stranger. But as Ted held on to Elizabeth, and looked at the unconcious bodies in his apartment, something rang clear in his mind.

 _I'm going to help her._


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own any HIMYM characters.** **This is an AU story.**

"Ted, are you crazy? You can't do this!" Robin protested the following morning in Teds apartment.

"Why not?" Ted asked, zipping up a duffel bag filled with his clothes.

"Why? I'll tell you why! It's dangerous! This isn't some video game or story, Ted. This is real life. You could get yourself killed!" Robin explained.

Ted slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder and marched over to the door. Robin got in-between.

"Ted, if you walk out of here, I can guarantee that you won't last a minute," Robin said.

Ted just stood there, scrutinizing Robin. Why was she doing this? Why was she so concerned about him wanting to do something that could help save some lives? Placing his hands on her shoulders, Ted look Robin square in the eyes.

"Good-bye, Robin."

And just like that, Robin planted a kiss on Teds lips. It was filled with passion, but also desparation. Ted kissed her back, but only briefly. He pulled away, moved her a bit to the left, opened the door to his apartment, then walked out. Robin looked on with worry.

 **Elizabeths hotel...**

Elizabeth finished loading up her weapons when there was a knock on her door. She walked over and opened it to find Ted... and Barney both standing there with bags in their hands.

"What are you two doing here?" Elizabeth asked.

Barney marched in past her while Ted simply walked in. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, and looked Elizabeth square in the eyes.

"We're here to help you."

A pause followed. Then... Elizabeth laughed.

"You two? Help me? No offense, but neither of you looks like you know how to shoot a gun, let alone kill people!"

"Actually, I'm an all time laser tag champion. I pretty much kill it in the arena," Barney bragged.

"And, I too have shot a gun... just not at a person... Robin took me to a shooting range once," Ted defended.

Elizabeth scoffed.

"You want to help? Go home. I can handle this myself. I've been doing this shit a long time, much of it on my own. You two would just get in my way."

Barney dropped his bag on the ground with a resounding thud, causing Elizabeth and Ted to look at him. Barneys facial expressions grew serious.

"Look, I'll admit, I only wanted to be around you to get some 'action', but now that I see how awesome your life is, I want to be part of it. This is way better than what I do already. Besides, I still think you're hot, and you need someone who can help keep you alive," Barney spoke.

"And..." Ted chimed in. Elizabeth looked at him and Teds features softened.

"Well, it seems like Joshua helped keep you grounded somehow. You seem lost without him. You need someone to help you keep focused and in control. I think that maybe it's because of these abilities that you have. They're far too dangerous to be handled alone and you shouldn't be alone right now."

Elizabeths own features softened at Teds words. He wasn't wrong at all. She took a deep breath, then nodded.

"Alright. You guys want to help? Then here's what's gonna happen. We have to get to Staten Island. That's where the baddies are. That's where Joshuas body will be. We get there, gather evidence to take down their operation, and shut them down for good. Think you two can handle that without killing anyone?" Elizabeth asked.

Barney and Ted looked at each other. Picking up two Desert Eagles, Elizabeth handed them over to Barney and Ted. They both grabbed the weapons, feeling the weight in their hands. Then, they looked up at Elizabeth; a look of confidence on their faces.

Things were about to get real.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, I'm back! It's been a while, but I thought I'd continue this awesome fanfiction.**

 **This is an AU story. All HIMYM characters are not mine. Unrelated characters of the fanficiton are my own creation.**

* * *

 _ **Staten Island**_  
 _ **Midnight**_

Ted and Barney followed silently behind Elizabeth, who lead them up through the shrubbery surrounding the area. They came up to an entrance, and Elizabeth tested the lock; which was locked.

"Hmm. Ted, Barney, can you both look through some windows to see if anyone is there? Try not to get caught," Elizabeth asked.

They nodded and went opposite directions, crouched low. Ted reached the first window and slowly peaked in. The area was empty. Barney too had the same result and they both reported back to her. With this news, Elizabeth twisted the handle past its breaking point, snapping it off and taking the lock with it.

"Wow," Ted spoke with awe.

She was strong.

Opening the door, Elizabeth turned back to look at Barney and Ted.

"Remember, we go in, find the members of the operation and gather the evidence we need to put them away. Find Joshuas' body, and get it out," Elizabeth reminded.

Ted and Barney nodded. They entered the hospital. It was dark, derelict and chilling. Barney and Ted kept the borrowed guns in their hands, aimed low like they were taught. They waited for Elizabeth. She enhanced her hearing ability to listen for any indication as to where there were more people. She heard voices on the other side of the first floor.

Elizabeth gestured for them to follow her. Ted kept his eyes on Elizabeth, following her through the maze of the old abandoned hospital.

"Did you know that this hospital used to be a tuberculosis sanatorium? It's also part of the Colonial Revival, meaning that the architecture was and is a nationalistic design movement in the States and in Canada? In fact, it..."

"Ted," Elizabeth cut him off.

"I appreciate the history lesson, but you gotta stay focused," Elizabeth whispered.

"Right, right, gotta stay focused. Sorry, I just got excited. This place is in talks of being revived at some point," Ted apologized.

With a slow nod, Elizabeth turned away and rolled her eyes. Ted was such a nerd. Coming around a corner, Elizabeth crouched down. There was an open area ahead, barred by guard railings leading down to the foyer. In the foyer, were a group of people. Ted and Barney followed Elizabeths lead and crouched also. They slowly crept closer to a vantage point.

"What do you see?" Barney asked.

Elizabeth looked. There were about ten men all gathered in a circle, and there was another in the center, tied to a chair. Enhancing her vision to see who it was, Elizabeth let out a small gasp. It was Joshua! He was alive! Ted and Barney saw the joy that beamed in her eyes, as well as relief.

"He's alive?" Ted whispered.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Man, I say we just kill him. His partner isn't coming," One man spoke up.

"She's got to. I've left like two voicemails."

"Maybe she was killed."

"Nah. That bitch has nine lives..."

Ted and Barney looked at Elizabeth, quizzically.

"It's true. It takes a lot to kill me. It's part of my abilities," Elizabeth whispered.

"Wow," Barney whispered.

"Also, my phone died, so it's not like I knew that they were calling me. Why? What do they want?" Elizabeth asked herself.

"Why don't you find out?" Barney asked.

"Are you crazy? Do you want her to get killed?" Ted replied.

"What? She already said that it takes a lot to kill her. Besides, it's not like any of them stand a chance," Barney explained.

Elizabeth stood up, much to Ted's dismay and to Barneys' surprise. He didn't think that she would actually reveal herself.

"Sorry boys, I guess I didn't get your message. I'm here now," Elizabeth spoke up and started walking down the steps towards the group.

Barney was going to join her, but Ted held him back, giving him a silent shake of the head. They had to stay hidden and wait for what Elizabeth was going to do. As much as Ted wanted to do the same thing, he had a feeling that the two of them needed to wait for the opportunity. Silently, Ted took out his phone and began an audio recording. Barney followed his lead. They would need recordings of what happened here for future reference.

As Elizabeth approached, she caught a better sight of Joshua. He didn't look well. He was beaten pretty bad. He had dried blood on his lips, and his left eye was swollen and purple. There was also a cut near his hairline. She felt anger rise in her chest.

"Alright, I'm here. What do you want?" Elizabeth asked.

"A trade," The supposed leader replied.

Elizabeth scoffed.

"I don't negotiate with terrorists." She folded her arms defiantly across her chest.

"You don't even know what we want."

"It doesn't matter. I won't give it to you. Hand over my partner now, or I'll kill you all," Elizabeth threatened.

They all laughed robustly.

"Listen here, girly..." The leader started walking up to her.

Elizabeth felt anger course through her when he called her that degrading term. Ugh, how she hated being called that. The man got close up to her face. He was tall, bulky, and had a nasty scar run down the right side of his face. His hair was unkempt; a dark rustic brown color, and he had beady black eyes. He had a strong facial structure, and a protruding chin. His breath reeked of garlic. Ugh.

"You're going to give us what we want, or we kill him..."

With a gesture, one of the men stepped forward, grabbed Joshua by the hair and pulled his head back, exposing a knife to his neck. Joshua let out a quiet gasp. Barney clutched Teds arm, and Ted winced in pain. What was going to happen? Were they going to have to help intervene? The two then heard the sound of a gun cocking behind them. They turned around and found two men with guns. They were forced to stand up, exposing themselves to the others.

"And them."

Elizabeth turned around to see two gunmen with their weapons pointed on Ted and Barney.

 _"Hold on a second, kids. I gotta go to the bathroom," Ted interjected, got up from his desk, and left.  
_

 _"Wha-but...dad! What happens next?" Luke asked, panicked.  
_

 _"Dad, come back!" Penny shouted.  
_

 _Their dad disappeared to use the bathroom. Penny turned to her brother.  
_

 _"Do you think dad really met a spy? Or is he making this whole story up?" Penny asked.  
_

 _Luke shrugged._

 _"I dunno. I've never even heard of IAA."_

 _"Dad said the organization shut down before we were born," Penny replied._

 _"Why do you think that is?"_

 _Penny shrugged. Their father returned from the bathroom and sat back down at his desk._

 _"Alright, where was I?" Ted asked._

 _"Dad...is this story real?" Penny asked._

 _"Of course it is, sweetheart. I wouldn't make something like this up," Ted replied._

 _"What happened to IAA? How come it's not around anymore?" Luke asked._

 _For a moment, Ted went silent. Penny and Luke looked at their father, and saw something that two children should never have to see from their parent._

 _Ted seemed stricken with grief; a grief that, while it didn't compare to losing his wife, came to be a close second. Ted cleared his throat._

 _"Right, so your Uncle Barney and I had two gunmen behind us..."_

"Bring them here!" The leader ordered.

Ted and Barney were lead down the stairs, where they joined Elizabeth and Joshua. Ted saw that same dark look in Elizabeths' eyes; the look that made her want to kill every criminal in the room. Ted silently prayed that his phone had enough charge to keep the audio recording going.

"Fine, what do you want?" Elizabeth asked, turning back to the leader of the group.

The man gave a sickly smile.

"I want you to use your power of authority to make our organization untouchable," The leader handed her a burner phone.

"Call your buddies in the government who told you to take us down. Tell them that if we don't get what we want, we will kill you all," He explained.

"They'll just tell you the same thing that I told you, which is that we don't negotiate with terrorists. God, how stupid are you?" Elizabeth asked.

Ted felt a man grab him, followed by a sharp pain slice in to his left arm. He screamed in pain. Stop! Oh god! He was gonna die!

"Alright! Stop! Just...don't hurt him!" Elizabeth pleaded.

She had no choice. She made the call to her superiors.

"Put them on speaker."

The call came through. The entire conversation took place. Ted felt lightheaded as blood left his body. It wasn't even that much, but it was enough to put Ted in shock. The entire situation was tense, and Ted wanted it to just end already. The government superiors basically said what Elizabeth had explained already, but these 'terrorists' relented. It seemed to go back and forth, with negotiations and many other demands. Elizabeth did her best to fight back, to keep Ted, Barney and Joshua from further harm, but with little success. Ted could tell that business negotiations were not her strong suit. She was more of the 'front of the lines' kind of Agent.

"You have immunity," A voice over the speaker phone came.

The members of the gang grinned. Ted was let go, and he sighed in relief...briefly before a fist collided with his face! Ted felt his body snap back, but he recoiled himself, sending a fist flying back in to his attacker. He fought with his assailant, trying to process what was happening. He caught a quick glimpse of Barney, who was also up in fisticuffs with another gang member. Another quick glance saw Elizabeth fighting the leader, and three other men at the same time. Damn, she was good!

Ducking a punch, Ted sent his fist in to his attackers solar plexus. The man tried to gasp for air and recover, but Ted didn't give the man a second chance. With a strike to the back of the head, he sent the man crumpling to the floor unconscious. Seeing an opportunity, Ted went to Joshua and grabbed a lone knife on the floor to cut off the ropes that held Joshua to the chair.

"Are you okay?" Ted asked, cutting the ropes off. They fell to the floor. Joshua got up and rubbed his wrists.

"I'll be fine. Grab your friend and get out of here," Joshua ordered.

Seeing that Barney had knocked out another guy, and that he was going to help Elizabeth, Ted ran to his friend, grabbing him by the sleeve of his jacket.

"What are you doing?" Barney asked.

"Getting us out of here!"

"But, Elizabeth..."

"She'll be fine. I freed Joshua, but he wants us to get to safety," Ted explained.

"But..."

"Barney, we're not trained for this. Let's go!" Ted dragged Barney out of the abandoned hospital.

The two reached the outdoors and ran a good distance away until they were sure that they were safe. Barney collapsed on to the grass to catch his breath, then Ted followed suit. The two lay on their backs, staring up at the night sky. They were tired and worn out. The blood on Teds arm had now dried up, but his arm ached something terrible.

"We should probably get to the hospital."

* * *

Back in the hospital, Elizabeth and Joshua fought side by side until each member had been rendered unconscious. Each of them took a deep breath, then let it out before turning to face each other.

"You look terrible."

"I feel terrible."

"Do you think that this was all that these goons really wanted?"

"It makes sense. We were sent here because their activity got too noisy. They don't want to get shut down, so they forced you to make sure that they didn't, instead of doing your job."

"I hate it when this happens. I'm not great at negotiations."

"I know. It the roles were reversed, I would have been able to handle this."

"Are you saying that I can't?"

"You just said that you're not great at negotiations, Elizabeth."

"I know...I just...wish I could have done better."

Silence fell between the two. Joshua had a look of concern on his face. He cupped Elizabeths chin with his hand, and brought her face up to look at him. The light of the moons reflection shone in her emerald green eyes, and Joshua felt his heart leap in to his chest. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever laid eyes on...and she was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

"You did what you could, and hey, you ended up rescuing me anyways," Joshua spoke up.

Elizabeth gave a smirk, then she looked all around her.

"We better go before they wake up."

The two left the hospital to catch up with Barney and Ted.

* * *

"So, now what?" Barney asked.

The four were in a cafe on Amsterdam Avenue, sitting in a booth with mugs of coffee cradled in their hands. Ted had a bandage wrapped around the wound on his arm, which had been stitched up earlier at the hospital.

"Now, we go our separate ways."

Barney and Ted looked at Elizabeth with disbelief, and Barney was about to protest, when Joshua spoke up.

"Look, these guys have immunity now. The government can't touch them, which means that we can't either."

Elizabeth scowled.

"I hate those bastards," She growled.

Joshua shook his head.

"I do too."

"But what matters is that we got you back, and you're not dead," Ted spoke up.

Joshua cracked a grateful smile at Ted.

"Thanks for the help."

"No problem."

Another silence fell between the four. This time though, it was a comfortable silence. Still, Ted had questions running through his mind, as well as concerns. Something didn't seem right to him. This group of criminals wanted immunity, so that they could continue on with their criminal activity. But...why did it feel like there was something more to it than that? Ted had a feeling that these criminals had something else in mind, than just their 'run of the mill' drug dealing. No...something else was going on.

"What is this group called again?" Ted asked.

"The Red Snakes. Why?" Elizabeth asked.

"Are they just an ordinary drug operation in New York? Why have we never heard of them until now?" Ted asked.

"Well, you kind of have a lot of gangs in New York, Ted. Not all of them get media coverage. And from what we know, it is just a drug operation. What are you getting at?" Elizabeth replied.

Ted thought about the events that had led up to this point: Meeting Elizabeth and Joshua, the Empire State Building and the attack that happened there. The attack at his apartment, and Barneys confrontation in that alleyway. There had to be something that connected all of this together. Then, it clicked. Ted looked at Elizabeth.

"This has nothing to do with The Red Snakes," Ted concluded.

"What?" Joshua and Barney asked.

"Think about it: A normal drug operation doesn't have a fricking helicopter, and has no reason to start an attack on the Empire State Building. When Barney and I were attacked, the one thing these people asked for, was you," Ted pointed at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth tightened her grip slightly on her coffee cup. She didn't like where Ted was taking this.

"This whole thing has been about you, Elizabeth, and I think I know why."

Ted paused, thinking about everything that he has seen from Elizabeth, and what she is capable of doing. She was a super powered human, who could do things that normal people would want to be. It was evident when Marshall drooled over how cool it was that she had 'powers'. Elizabeth worked for a government agency in Canada, but recruited people world wide that were like her. Joshua was a normal person. He didn't have any abilities. But again, he worked for the government too. He worked with the CIA (as he mentioned earlier when they first entered the cafe.)

It all made sense.

"Someone out there wants you to be their weapon...who wants all those like you to be used against our military."

The coffee mug in Elizabeths hand shattered, sending hot brown liquid, and glass flying. Joshua flinched and retracted from Elizabeth. Barney jumped, but Ted kept still. He was right, and he knew that Elizabeth knew it. Elizabeth shot to her feet, a look of trauma written on her face. She didn't say a word. She just stared harshly at Ted for a moment, before storming out of the cafe.

Joshua began wiping the spilled coffee, while a server came by to collect the shattered pieces of the coffee mug. Barney, who had been silent for most of the conversation, looked to Ted.

"What the hell was that all about?"

Joshua sighed and the two looked at him. Joshua too had a look of trauma on his face, but it was different from Elizabeths. While hers was a trauma filled with rage, grief, and despair, Joshuas' was more just grief.

"Something happened to Elizabeth a long time ago when she was just a teenager; something kind of like what you mentioned, Ted. Elizabeth didn't use to be like this in terms of abilities. She wasn't as strong or in-tune with her powers. She used to just have a slight increase in sight, smell, and hearing. Someone found out what she could do, and experimented on her. The woman that you see, didn't use to look like that. Her eyes, they used to be brown, and so did her hair. This experiment that was performed on Elizabeth, was to see what exactly made her the way she was. This person basically dissected her. They found out how her abilities worked, what made them unique to her, and tried to recreate her chemistry to create abilities for themselves. This person took pieces of her DNA and mixed it with some sort of chemical, but...something went wrong. When they went back for seconds, the chemical accidentally got back in to Elizabeth and changed her in to who she is now."

"That sort of thing...it changed her in every way possible. Now, her entire appearance is different, and she's stronger, faster and can do more than she used to."

"Ted, if you're right, and someone out there wants Elizabeth and the others to be a military weapons, then we need to find out who and put a stop to this. We can't lose Elizabeth, or any other member of IAA. We would have a war on our hands if we didn't do something about this."

After Joshua finished talking, Ted and Barney felt the weight of the situation bear down on them. Ted felt his chest grow heavy. He felt such a great responsibility to help these two Agents, and yet, he didn't know why. Barney, he realized the severity of the situation that he got himself in. He wanted to get away from it and go back to living the way that he used to, by wearing suits and banging chicks.

"Alright, so, The Red Snakes aside..." Ted spoke up.

Barney looked at Ted. He groaned inwardly. He knew exactly what Ted was going to ask, and he wished that he didn't. Barney braced himself.

"How do we find out who's behind all this?"

* * *

 **Make sure to leave a review!**

 **What do you think of the characters of Elizabeth Striker and Joshua Reynolds?**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is an AU HIMYM fanfiction. I do now own any of the characters, except for the ones unrelated to the fandom.**

 **THIS CHAPTER IS RATED T FOR STEAMINESS!**

 **Make sure to leave a review!**

* * *

 ** _Amsterdam Avenue  
_** ** _3:20am_**

Ted left the cafe and came out on to the streets. Looking to his left, he saw Elizabeth standing at the corner, leaning up against the brick wall of another building. Her arms were folded across her chest and her head was lowered. She seemed to be fighting some inner demons. Ted slowly approached her, and called out to her, making sure to avoid being punched in the face.

"Elizabeth?"

She looked up at him. Ted saw tears running down her face, streaking her mascara.

"I'm sorry...about what happened to you when you were young."

He was close enough to hug her, but he didn't. Ted just stood there, looking at Elizabeth with concern. Elizabeth wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, then looked up at Ted. He could tell that she was trying to put up her tough exterior, but it failed. Her body trembled.

"Thanks, Ted."

An awkward silence followed.

"Uh, we should get back to Manhattan. I think we could all use some sleep," Elizabeth spoke up again.

Ted couldn't agree more. He was exhausted beyond comprehension. Barney and Joshua joined them outside, and hailed a cab. The four piled in.

"Hello!" The taxi driver greeted cheerily.

Elizabeth, who sat in the front seat, groaned. This man was too happy at almost four in the morning!

"Ranjit!" Barney exclaimed

"Barney! Ted..." Ranjit looked at Ted. He looked terrible!

"Ted, what the hell happened to you? Did you get in a fight with some street cats? Or get a little too lucky with the ladies?" Ranjit asked.

"Hey, sorry to break the fiesta here, but we need to get to Manhattan," Joshua spoke up.

Looking at the stranger in the back seat with his friends, Ranjit nodded. To Teds place, it would be! Ranjit began driving.

"Actually, Ranjit, I didn't. What happened was..." Ted was about to explain, when Joshua squeezed Teds wounded arm. Ted yelped in pain.

Joshua shook his head. The less Ranjit knew, the better.

"Wha-what happened was that uh...Barney and I tried air-softing with our new friends," Ted lied.

"Ooooh. Barney, you and Ted need new friends," Ranjit casually suggested.

"You're not getting tipped," Elizabeth quipped.

Ranjit laughed.

"I like you, you're funny. What's your name?" Ranjit asked.

Elizabeth gave Joshua a quick glance. Again, he shook his head. Elizabeth agreed.

"Diana."

That was Elizabeths fake name when she needed to use it.

"Like the Wonder Woman," Ranjit replied.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Finally Ranjit pulled up to Teds apartment complex. The four got out of the cab, and Joshua paid Ranjit, and gave him a tip. Ranjit drove off, and the four came up to Teds' apartment. Walking in, Ted went to his room and collapsed on his bed. He went out like a light.

In the living room, Elizabeth and Joshua stood awkwardly as Barney settled on the couch.

"Oh, Marshall and Lily left for St. Cloud Minnesota the last time we saw them. Lily couldn't handle what was going on, so Marshall took her to see his family. You two can sleep in their room. They put down fresh sheets before they left, like they always do," Barney explained, snorting at the end of his sentence.

Joshua and Elizabeth looked to each other, a little awkward. Despite his feelings for Elizabeth, Joshua knew that she didn't return the romantic expressions. She wasn't interested in him that way. He was mostly someone that she casually slept with.

"Uh, why don't you take the bed? You deserve it," Elizabeth offered to Joshua.

He nodded and thanked her. He went off to sleep in Marshall and Lilys bed, which indeed had clean fresh sheets on them. He went out rather quickly. Barney and Elizabeth were still awake in the living room. Barney laid down on the couch, and Elizabeth stood off to the side, rather awkwardly.

"Can I ask..."

Elizabeth looked up at Barney.

"What's going on between you two?"

Elizabeth chuckled and walked over to Barney. She sat down beside him.

"Joshua tends to fall in love rather quickly. I seem to be his latest conquest, but I'm not interested in settling down. He always asks me to marry him, but I don't want that kind of commitment," Elizabeth explained.

Barney chuckled.

"That sounds a lot like Ted. The poor guy can't keep a girlfriend for long because he's always professing his love and proposing. Me? I'm with you on that, sister. Commitment is for losers," Barney replied with a scoff.

"It's not for losers. It's for people who want to settle down and live comfortably. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just not for me, or I guess you, for that matter," Elizabeth explained.

"I'm never going to settle down."

"I'll never be able to..." Elizabeth stopped talking.

"Hey...this whole 'nine lives' thing that you have...? How many have been used up already?" Barney asked, genuinely curious.

Elizabeth let out a shaky breath.

"Seven."

A pause...

"Barney...I'm never going to live past thirty. I know that for a fact. I get put on assignments that can easily kill a normal person, while I leave barely clinging to life. I have to be careful with the time that I know that I have left. If I mess up..."

"Sssh, no more talking."

Barney placed his index finger over Elizabeths lips, and this time, Barney really took in her beauty. Elizabeths hair was so dark, there were hints of blue in it. Her eyes, he knew were an intense green and at first, they scared him. But Barney saw just how beautiful the coloring of her eyes were. Barney wasn't the romantic type whatsoever. He was a "bang 'em, and ditch 'em" kind of guy. But Elizabeth...he wanted to romance the hell out of her! Slowly, Barney leaned in close to Elizabeth, breathing in her scent. It was a light musky smell. It was feminine indeed, but had a hint of masculinity to it. It seemed right for her.

Elizabeth leaned in close to Barney, understanding what he wanted. She wanted it too. Their lips touched and Barney kissed Elizabeth passionately. Elizabeth kissed him back, breathing in his scent lightly. The kiss intensified, and Barney pulled Elizabeth on to his lap. She had her legs on either side of his waist in a straddling position. Elizabeth ripped open his shirt; the buttons popping off.

Barney gasped at Elizabeths suddenness, and pulled her body closer to his. He could feel himself growing hungry. He pushed her off of him, and on to her back; her head resting on the pillow at the end of the couch. Grabbing the waistband of her jeans, Barney pulled them off of her and got between her legs and the two continued making out.

As if there was a camera in the room, it panned away from the two of them, showing Ted standing in the doorway of his room. He had woken up to realize that he needed to pee, and walked on out, only to see (and hear), Barney having sex with Elizabeth.

 _"And on the couch, no less. Gross,"_ Ted thought to himself.

It looked like Ted was gonna be peeing in to the plant just sitting out on the fire escape in his room. He quietly returned to the bedroom.

* * *

 ** _Teds Apartment  
_** ** _10:30am_**

Morning rolled around and Barney woke up to the smell of something delicious being cooked up in the kitchen. Rising, he gripped the blanket that was wrapped around his naked waist, and he looked up.

Elizabeth was standing in the kitchen, wearing nothing but Barney's button down shirt. The buttons were still missing, but Elizabeth had expertly used safety pins to hold the shirt closed. Her hair was brushed, and she was currently licking something off of her finger. God, the things she did with that tongue last night!

Shaking his head clear of the nasty thoughts that were in his mind, Barney slipped in to his bottoms and walked in to the kitchen. He stopped short and his jaw dropped to the floor. He gave his quick head a shake while using a comic sound effect.

"Yes, I know. I may be short, but I got long legs," Elizabeth spoke before Barney could comment.

Barney picked up his jaw. Ted and Joshua came out of their respected rooms, fully dressed.

"I smell bacon," Joshua spoke up.

"Yuck. Bacon," Ted commented.

Joshua's has slackened at the comment.

"How do you not like Bacon?!" Joshua exclaimed.

Elizabeth covered her ear slightly from the shout. It was just a tad bit too loud.

"My mom told me that I'm allergic to it," Ted explained.

"...HOW CAN YOU BE ALLERGIC TO BACON?!" Joshua cried, his mind not grasping the concept.

Elizabeth smirked.

"I dunno. I just am...apparently," Ted replied.

"I think your mom has been lying to you. I saw you eating a ham sandwich last night at the cafe," Joshua said.

"That's because ham is..."

"Pork? Like bacon?"

Ted went quiet.

"I gotta make a call."

Pulling out his phone, Ted went to call his mother. Shaking his head, Joshua walked in to the kitchen, and was surprised to see Elizabeth hardly wearing anything, except for a button down shirt held together with safety pins. He looked at her, then to Barney, who was only wearing pants.

"Did you two have sex?" Joshua asked.

"Heck yes we did!" Barney replied, proud of his accomplishment.

He had wanted it since he first met Elizabeth. He had beaten Ted to the punch. Barney raised his hand to Elizabeth to high five it. Elizabeth glared at him.

"You think having sex with me is an accomplishment to be proud of?" Elizabeth asked.

"Uh, yeah?"

 **SMACK!**

Elizabeth high fived Barney back.

"Heck yes it is!"

Joshua grumbled. Ted came back and grabbed the plate that Elizabeth handed over to him. He sat at the table and the others joined him.

"Oh my god! That bitch lied to me! I've never been allergic to bacon! She told me that just so I would eat healthy!" Ted complained.

"Here."

Elizabeth grabbed a plate filled with bacon. Ted took a handful and the others all leaned forward to watch Ted take his first bite of the delicious pork. Ted bit off a piece, chewed, then swallowed.

"I have seen the face of God," Ted gasped, highly euphoric.

Barney took out his phone and snapped a picture of Ted eating bacon, then sent it off in their group chat. As they ate breakfast, Marshall replied.

 **L: Make sure he doesn't go overboard!**

 **M: R U kidding me?! Eat all the bacon!**

 **R: Go Ted!**

There was a brief pause before Robin sent another message.

 **R: Turn on the tv to Metro News One!**

Finishing his breakfast, Barney got up and turned on the tv to Robins news channel. It was last nights report that was airing. Robin was on screen with Sandy Rivers.

"Three days ago, a terrorist attack rocked The Empire State Building. Government reports say that they are looking in to the attack, but have yet to discover who is behind it. Many eyewitnesses took several photos of a woman repelling off the building while shooting at a helicopter, piloted by the supposed terrorists."

A picture of Elizabeth and Ted appeared on screen. Her arm was around his waist, while the other held out a gun. Ted look petrified as he held the repel weapon.

"Hey guys look, you're on tv!" Barney pointed out.

Elizabeth, Joshua and Ted walked over.

"Aw man, my eyes are closed," Ted commented.

"Well, you did think that you were going to die."

The picture changed back to Robin and Sandy.

"Police and government officials ask the public that if they see this woman, to report her to them..."

They all saw Robins face grow dark.

"As they believe that she is part of the terrorist attack."

"WHAT?! I saved Teds life!" Elizabeth exclaim.

"They don't know that," Joshua spoke.

Elizabeth turned off the television.

"This is fucking ridiculous! Every government official knows who I am!"

"Someone must have put that information out...someone who wants you," Joshua said.

Elizabeths' expression darkened.

"I need to find out who's behind this." Elizabeth slipped in to her jeans.

"We'll give you a hand," Ted started speaking up.

Elizabeth took off Barney's shirt and handed it to him. Ted, Barney and Joshua all gaped at Elizabeth, who had a black bra on to contain her breasts. Yup, those were C-cups alright. She slipped back in to her shirt from last night.

"No. This is something that I have to do on my own."

Elizabeth left Teds apartment. Giving his head a shake, Joshua followed after her. Ted and Barney were alone.

A silence filled the room and it seemed to last a lifetime. Finally, Ted spoke up.

"We got to help them."

Barney sighed with exasperation.

"No."

Ted turned to look at Barney; a look of confusion on his face.

"I'm sorry...no?"

"No. I'm done, Ted. I can't do this anymore. Look, it was fun when we were chasing skirt, but this...it's real. I'm done."

"Are you only ditching because you finally slept with her?"

"That was the original plan, but not anymore. I don't want to die, Ted. I've still got a lot of things to do."

Silence.

"Fine. Give up for all I care. I'm going to help."

"Man, why are you doing this? What reason do you have to want to help a superpowered woman and a CIA Agent? You don't have abilities. You're not even trained to be a secret Agent. What's up, Ted, that makes you want to keep putting yourself in danger?" Barney asked.

"I...I don't know, okay? Ever since I met Elizabeth, I've just felt...I dunno...something...I can't explain it. I feel like there's this thing inside me trying to get out," Ted explained, trying to express the foreign feeling inside him.

"Dude, I think it may be your brain trying to tell you to join me and jump ship," Barney scoffed.

"No, that's not it at all! I've been...I've been having some sort of..."

Ted could feel it again: that strange feeling inside him. It had been happening ever since the day he met Elizabeth; he just didn't mention it to anyone. He thought that it was just hormones. No, it was something else...something that made him focus all his energies on it.

"Ted?" Barney called out.

Ted clutched his head. The feeling grew to be overwhelming.

"Ah!"

Something caught Barney's attention. On the coffee table, a figurine sat. Strange, it wasn't there before. Barney noticed that it looked like Ted. Did he make that and Barney just never noticed?

Another one appeared beside it.

"What the..!?" Barney exclaimed.

He looked back at Ted, who was still clutching his head.

"Ted? Ted! Snap out of it!"

 **SLAP!**

Barney smacked Ted across the face. Several objects appeared out of nowhere!

"Ted..."

Barney looked at Ted with shock written all over his face. Ted rubbed his head; his eyes squinted as he readjusted to the brightness in the room.

"You...you h-have a-abili-Ted..."

Barney passed out from hyperventilating. Ted looked around his apartment. Several objects littered the place, objects that weren't there previously.

"Oh my god. I did this."

* * *

 **Sooo...Ted has abilities? That's weird. What exactly can he do? How long will it take for him to get used to them?**

 **Stay Tuned.**

 **And yes, I have been planning that for a while.**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is an AU HIMYM fanfiction. I do not own the characters. Unrelated characters are my own creation.**

* * *

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on...you have powers?" Luke asked his dad._

 _"How else do you think I got to be a successful architect? It wasn't just from having a creative mind, you know," Ted told his son._

 _"Dad, are you saying that after all this time, you...have powers?" Penny asked._

 _She couldn't comprehend this new piece of information, just like her brother._

 _"Here, I'll show you."_

 _Ted extended out his hand and cupped it, curling his fingers inward slightly. An object formed on his desk. It was a medium sized figurine of Tracy._

 _"Wow," Penny gasped._

 _"That...that's incredible," Luke gaped._

 _"Did mom know?" Penny asked._

 _"Yes, but would you relax? I'm getting there," Ted told his kids._

 _"So...what is it that you can do, exactly?" Luke asked._

* * *

 _ **Hotel11:25am**_

"Why won't you let me help you?" Joshua asked, frustrated with his partner.

"Because this is something that I have to do on my own. Don't you get it, Joshua? This isn't about you. This is about me, and my people," Elizabeth explained.

She had finished showering and dressed in clean clothes. She slipped on a sweetheart black laced long sleeved shirt, and a pair of dark washed straight legged jeans. She buckled up her combat boots, and pulled her long hair back in to a high ponytail while it was still slightly damp.

"I'm your partner, Elizabeth. I should be there to watch your back."

Elizabeth sheathed her gun in to the waistband of her jeans.

"I don't need protection."

Joshua walked up behind her and spun her around to face him.

"I know that you don't. People need protecting from you."

 **CRACK!**

Elizabeth socked Joshua in the jaw, He stumbled backwards.

"I can control myself just fine! I've been doing it long before you ever showed up!"

With that, Elizabeth stormed out of the hotel. She walked for about five minutes down the road, before running in to Ted.

"Oh thank god! I was just on my way to see you. Listen, something's happened..." Ted began to start.

"Move." Elizabeth shoved past him.

"Where are you going?"

Elizabeth didn't answer him. She kept walking. Feeling that energy again, Ted focused it beneath his feet. He willed the pavement to move, and it brought him to Elizabeth, catching up with her at an alarming pace. Ted was almost launched forward when he made the pavement stop moving.

"What the...!?" Elizabeth cried.

Ted stood in front of her.

"Something's happened to me."

"You...you have abilities? You've had them all this time and never said anything?" Elizabeth asked.

"I only found out recently, but I...I've had this feeling since we met," Ted explained.

"Great."

"Look I...I know that I'm just some guy that you just met in a bar, and that you've tried to keep Barney and I out of the life that you have, but I can't. I can't sit back and do nothing. Not with what I know and can do," Ted spoke.

"And what exactly is it that you can do?" Elizabeth asked.

"I dunno...create things? Manipulate objects?" Ted wasn't too sure what it was that he could do.

"Constructs Creation. Only one other person I know has that ability. You can create objects, tools, weapons, anything. You can manipulate objects that already exist, or the ones you create. It's useful. The question is why would they manifest now?" Elizabeth asked.

Ted shrugged.

"How do abilities work?"

"Anyone with abilities has a sort of hidden code in their DNA. Many of the Agents in IAA had theirs brought forth through puberty. Mine was by accident...a head injury from a vehicle collision that I was in as a kid. Some can manifest through intense stress and anxiety. Some when danger is imminent..." Elizabeth stopped talking.

"No..." She gasped.

"What?" Ted asked.

Elizabeth bit her lip.

"Well...if it happened only after we met, then...yours must have become manifest during the terrorist attack at the Empire State Building. You...when I told you to let go of the grapple gun...I thought..."

Elizabeth stopped talking. She remembered back to that day rather clearly. When she had Ted over her shoulder, Elizabeth had misjudged the distance when she made the drop. She had feared that she herself wouldn't have survived the drop. But...

"You made the pavement move. You brought it up to me. That's why we survived that fall. It was you, Ted. When your life was in danger, you used your ability to save us," Elizabeth finally spoke up.

"So...I'm the one who saved us that day? Cool," Ted grinned.

"I guess that means you have to come with us," Elizabeth said.

As if on cue, Joshua showed up and Ted noticed that he carried two suitcases. One was red, the other was black. Elizabeth grabbed the red one.

"Go with you where?" Ted asked.

"To Toronto. You, Ted, have some training to do."

* * *

 **Toronto, Ontario, Canada**

 **IAA Headquarters**

Ted felt old. As soon as he walked in to IAA, he was surrounded by men much younger than him. He noticed that IAA barely had women. What was up with that?

"Where are all the girls?" Ted asked.

He saw Elizabeth tense at the question.

"What you see is all we have. We don't have many female agents because not many women have abilities. I was the only female in the agency for a long time," Elizabeth explained.

"Huh. Odd."

"Don't even think about trying to sleep with any of them. They're all minors," Elizabeth added.

Rats.

"So, Canada, eh? Do you like living here?" Ted asked as they continued walking.

"It's better here in Toronto than it was in Alberta. I used to live there. The winters were just too harsh."

Ted nodded. Finally, the two came to a door in the hallway that they were now in. There was a name on the door.

 **General R. McLean**

"Why General?" Ted asked.

"We need someone to lead us."

"I thought that was you."

"I'm just the Head Agent. I'd make General, if it wasn't for..."

Elizabeth stopped talking. She hadn't told Ted about the fact that she only had seven lives left. Barney was the only one that she told. Elizabeth shook her head, then knocked on the door.

"Enter," A voice spoke from behind the door.

Elizabeth opened the door and walked in. Ted followed behind her. They walked in to an office. It was beautiful, just like the rest of the building. When Ted saw the exterior of IAA, he had a nerd explosion. The building of IAA was old; probably built in the mid 18th Century. It was a Georgian styled building, with rustic red bricks. The inside was totally different. It was modern and sleek.

Looking ahead of him, Ted found a man sitting behind a desk. The desk was old too, made of oak. It reminded Ted of the desk in the Oval Office. The man looked Irish. He had a fair complexion, ginger hair, and he wore glasses over his hazel green eyes. He wore a dark green blazer with a button down shirt underneath.

"You must be Ted Mosby," The man spoke.

He stood up and came around to shake Teds hand. It was a firm grip. The man wasn't much taller than Ted.

"And you're General McLean. Agent Striker has told me a bit about you on the flight here," Ted explained.

"Good, good. So, Ted, you have abilities. Why don't we head on down to the training room and get you assessed?" General McLean asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

They headed for the training room. Ted was instructed to head in to the change rooms, where he changed in to something athletic. Ted put on a black under armour long sleeved shirt and joggers. Lacing up his sneaker, Ted walked out in to the training room.

"Wow. Marshall would LOVE this! It looks almost like the training room in X-men!" Ted exclaimed.

A big wide smile spread across his face. This was so exciting! He had powers! Ted had superpowers!

"So, do I get to like, be all cool and fight bad guys? Do I get awesome gadgets? Do I get to wear a badge? What about a code name? Do we have code names? What's your code name, Elizabeth?" Ted rambled excitingly.

Elizabeth chuckled. She stood in the control room with General McLean. She turned on the microphone in front of her.

"We don't have code names, Ted."

"You should! You should be called 'Black Shadow' because you have feline abilities and hide in the dark," Ted said.

"I'm gonna call myself... 'The Master Builder'"

Ted felt proud of himself. He had given himself a cool code name. Elizabeth thought it sounded pretty cool too, along with the code name that Ted had so casually given her.

"Alright, Ted, we're going to start now. Try not to get hurt, or killed," Elizabeth spoke in to the microphone.

General McLean typed something in to the computer sitting in front of him. An alarm sounded and Ted prepared himself for what could happen.

Machines of all sorts came out of walls and floors in the training room. Some were guns, some were robots, and there were barricades as well. Ted tucked himself behind a barricade just as a gun took a shot at him with a laser beam.

"Oh god, oh god! Ah uh...what do I...?" Ted rambled in panic.

A blast hit th barricade he hid behind and it disintegrated.

"Ahh!" Ted yelled, seeing a robot charge towards him. Another shot fired.

Ted raised his arms to shield himself. He manipulated the barricades towards him, creating a shield. They covered him just in time for the blast to hit the shield, and for the robot to change course. The robot came around to Ted. It looked like that it should be harmless. Instead, it had multiple limbs with sharp objects protruding from them, twirling and spinning.

"Eek!" Ted cried.

He threw out his right hand in a 'stop' gesture and the robot jolted. It kept trying to slice him, but Ted felt the will to keep it away. He came around the barricade with the robot, then used what energy he had to send it flying at one of the shooting guns. There was a blast. The robot was blown apart.

"Okay! I think I can get the hang of this!" Ted announced with confidence.

He kept on going.

* * *

 **Later...**

Ted collapsed on a soft bed in a spacious apartment in the IAA building. He was sore and found muscles that he never even knew that he had. The training was intense, but the battle had been one. General McLean was impressed with Teds prowess for someone of his age. He also expressed the complete control over his abilities that Ted possessed.

 _"Why do you think you have such precision over your abilities?" General McLean asked Ted afterwards._

 _"I dunno. I'm older? More life experiences? I design buildings for a living and that requires concentration," Ted had replied._

It made sense. Ted never once lost control of these new found powers that he had. A knock on the door brought Ted out of his thoughts.

"Come in!"

The door opened and Elizabeth walked in. She was wearing black mesh leggings and a black crop top. Damn, did this girl ever wear anything colourful? Ted shook his head, then he sat up in bed.

"What up?" Ted asked, turning to face her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"That's normal."

"Hey, so these powers that I have...can they be dangerous?"

"Any power can be dangerous. It just depends on if you want them to be or not. What do you choose, Ted?"

"Good, obviously. I'm like Luke Skywalker, and not Darth Vader. I can't be tempted by the dark side," Ted replied.

Elizabeth stared blankly at him.

"Who's Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader?" She asked.

Ted gasped and clutched his chest dramatically.

"YOU NEVER WATCHED STAR WARS?!"

Again, Elizabeth stared blankly at Ted.

"What are your plans for the next six hours and seventeen minutes, with bathroom breaks in-between?"

Elizabeth stared at Ted with a questioning glare.

"Sleeping?"

"Wrong!"

Ted went over to his suitcase and pulled out three video cases. They all said Star Wars on them.

"You are going to watch the original Star Wars trilogy with me. Get some snacks."

"O-okay..."

Elizabeth left to go grab snacks, and Ted went to set things up. He tidied his space and cleared off his bed. He pulled the sheets firmly in place to create a clean and comfortable atmosphere. He put on some comfortable sweatpants and tee-shirt. When Elizabeth came back, she was carrying a few bags of chips, some candy, and a six pack of pop.

Ted helped her with the stuff and the two got comfortable on the bed. Ted turned on the tv, and Elizabeth was met with an epic announcement of music.

Ted smiled like a six year old boy who was in a candy shop. He was so excited! He looked at Elizabeth, who seemed to settle in her spot while she watched the screen with intensity.

Ted slowly inches towards her for the duration of the trilogy.

* * *

 **Ha! What do you think Elizabeth will think of Star Wars?**

 **What do you think of Teds powers of creation?**

 **I wanted something that complimented his career as an architect**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own any HIMYM characters blah blah blah.**

* * *

 ** _Seven hours later..._**

"Oh..."

Ted grinned as he watched Elizabeth.

"My..."

He giggled a little.

"God!"

Elizabeth turned to look at Ted.

"I love it! But seriously, that fricking Jar Jar Binks!"

"I had to stop you from shooting the screen whenever he was on it!" Ted cracked up with laughter as he spoke.

"Because he was so goddamn annoying!"

Ted laughed, then Elizabeth did. She enjoyed watching Star Wars. She liked all the right characters and thought that the Ewoks were definitely fantastic. She even said that the rebellion would have been nothing without them. Damn, why didn't Ted see this before? Elizabeth was the perfect woman for him.

Ted moved close to her, ready to kiss her.

"Whoa, What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, putting her hand on his chest to keep him from getting any closer.

"Wha...I...I thought that we were having a moment," Ted explained.

Elizabeth got off the bed. Ted followed.

"We were, but that's not it. Look, Ted, I slept with Barney."

"Yeah...I know," Ted spoke, disappointment apparent in his tone.

"I don't want to get involved in some messy love triangle. Joshua has feelings for me, but I don't return them. Barney and I only slept together because we both know that we won't get an emotional attachment. I don't want you to get involved in this. Besides, you love Robin," Elizabeth said.

"How...how do you...?"

"Know? Ted, how many times have you brought up Robin since we got to Canada?"

She had a point.

"So, what now?"

Elizabeth looked at the time.

"I need a quick cat nap..."

"Hehe, cat nap. I see what you did there."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"And you still have some training. When I wake up, there should be some news as to who could be our suspect that wants IAA agents as weapons against the government."

Ted almost forgot about that!

"Wait! That means that I can be a target too!"

"I know. That's why you can't ever go back to New York, Ted."

What?

"I'm sorry...what?"

"Did you really think that I'd let you go back there, Ted? If you do, you're putting your friends in danger. Whoever is behind this would be watching you. They could find your family, friends and who knows who else, as a way to get what they want. Ted, you can never go back home."

Those words echoed in Teds ears as he watched Elizabeth leave his room. He...he couldn't go back to New York...ever? Ted felt weak, and he sat back down on his bed. Once his body felt like his own again, he unpocketed his cell phone and dialed in Marshall's number.

 ** _"Hey, Ted, what's up? Barney said that you went to Canada with that Agent! How do you like it there? What are your powers like? Are they super awesome? What can you do? Do you get a code name? Do you get to be all James Bond like?"_**

"Marshall, listen, I..."

 _"I know, I know, you're probably busy training so that you can save the world. Man, that's so cool. I wish I had powers. How did you get them?"_

 ** _"Hey Ted, when you get back, Lily is going to make you a super hero costume so that you can fight crime, like Spider-man. Oh my god! We're going to finally have a real super hero in New York!"_**

Ted pulled the phone away from his ear to avoid the real of Marshalls raised voice of excitement.

"Marshall, I can't come back to New York. I'm sorry. I just... I don't want to put anyone's life in danger. And really? Lily wants to make me a costume?"

There was silence on Marshall's end.

"Marshall?"

 ** _"You can't come back to New York...ever? Why?"_**

Ted let out a slow deep breath.

"Because, Marshall, I can't risk letting you guys getting hurt because of me. If people find out..."

Ted stopped short. The situation was all to real. Here he was, in a super hero agency, with his own superpowers, and he had to stay away from those he loved. Ted felt himself tearing up, and he promptly ended the call with Marshall. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away his tears. Taking a deep breath, Ted managed to calm himself down.

But it was only for a quick second, and he started all over again. Ted was overwhelmed with fear and loneliness, something that he hadn't felt on such a magnitude before. He cried some times, but mostly because he would be overly stressed with work and burned out. But, not this time. Getting under the covers, Ted fell asleep with tears running down his face.

* * *

 ** _NEW YORK_**

Marshall looked at his phone, which was displaying silence on his end. Ted had hung up on him. Concerned, Marshall turned off his phone and pocketed it.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lily asked, looking up at her husband as he walked on over.

Marshall sat down beside her on the couch. He looked at her, and took her hand in his.

"Baby, Ted can't come home anymore," Marshall spoke.

His voice sounded weary, and a bit dry, as if Marshall was going to cry.

"What?! Why? What's going on?" Lily asked.

Marshall took a deep breath, then relayed the message that Ted had given him. Lily's facial expressions showed one of dismay.

"What has he gotten himself in to? Is there any way that we can get him out of this?" Lily asked.

"I don't know. I'm going to go over the contract that Ted signed. I texted him to email it to me. Maybe I can find a loophole to get him out of there," Marshall explained.

"Uh, I hate to break it to you guys..."

Marshall and Lily turned to find Robin standing in the doorway. She had been standing there for the past minute listening to their conversation. She walked over to them.

"But Ted is doing the right thing by staying away. I mean, think about it: Ted becomes a super powered person and he's got responsibilities now. If he were to contact us, any baddies that come in contact with him could end up coming after us as leverage against Ted," Robin explained.

She sat down on the couch and put a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"I know it's hard, but we've got to let Ted have as little contact with us as possible..." Robins voice cracked.

"Robin, are you crying?" Lily asked.

"No...shut up!" Robin wiped her tears away.

"Oh sweetie, it's okay. We'll miss Ted too," Lily reassured.

"It's not just that...I love him. I always have and I never had a chance to tell him. And now, I'll never be able to," Robin sobbed.

For someone who hardly cried, Robin could hardly contain herself. She found herself worrying greatly for Teds safety. What if he died? Finally calming down, Robin wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. She noticed that both Marshall and Lily did also.

"I've got to tell him how I feel."

"How...he's miles away."

"Simple. I'm going to Toronto."

* * *

 ** _So, Robins heading to Toronto. Will she be able to tell Ted how she feels? Will something go wrong?_**


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own the characters of HIMYM, just my own creations.

Make sure to leave a review!

This is an AU HIMYM FanFiction.

* * *

NEW YORK

JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Robin stood in line at the airport, waiting to board the plane. Marshall, Lily and even Barney decided to join her. They all wanted a proper good-bye with Ted, and to express how they all felt.

"Hey, do you think we'll have some time to shop around in Toronto? Maybe, go...to the...mall?" Barney asked, leaning in close to Robin.

Robin scoffed in disgust.

"Barney, I swear, if you crack jokes about my time being a Teen Pop Star in Canada the entire time...I'm going to rip you a new one," Robin threatened.

"Yeah you are," Barney snickered.

Robin gave him a death glare. As Robin glared at Barney, something caught her attention. A strange man stood not too far from Barney. He was taller than Robin, had a beige coloured complexion, dark hair and a strong chiseled facial structure. The strange part about him, were his eyes. They were red. He wore re-ripped dark washed jeans, a black tank and a red leather jacket. He had on biker boots.

"Hey, look at that," Robin pointed out.

Barney, Lily and Marshall turned to look at who Robin pointed out. Lily blushed a little. The man was pretty good looking, she had to admit. Lily gasped when the man turned to look at her. He flashed her a toothy smile, and winked at her.

"Oh boy. He's coming over here," Lily announced.

"Hey there, gorgeous," The strange man spoke to Lily.

Marshall stepped in between his wife and the strange man. Marshall towered over him and he sized up. The man shrunk back a bit at Marshall's stature.

"Yeah, my wife is gorgeous, isn't she?" Marshall spoke, his tone friendly, despite his stance.

The man scoffed and walked over to Robin to try the same shtick. Robin also rejected him.

"Geez, can't get any action these days," The man muttered.

Barney rolled his eyes. This guy was lame. Finally, the gate opened and the entourage boarded the plane. The strange man also boarded, and he seated himself by Robin.

"I guess we're plane buddies," He commented and flashed his ticket at her. He had been assigned to sit by her.

"Great. Just what I need before I profess my love to Ted," Robin thought to herself.

Robin squirmed in her seat. This guy made her feel uncomfortable. The rest of the flight was like this. Eventually when they arrived in Toronto, Robin was glad to part ways with the stranger. The four took a cab to IAA headquarters.

"Wow, this place is HUGE!" Marshall exclaimed.

"Please, it only looks like that on the outside. I'll bet it's actually a facade, and it's really small inside," Barney scoffed.

It wasn't. Barney found himself gaping in amazement with the others.

"Erm... can I help you people?"

A gigantic man stood in front of them. He was probably about six foot four. He was muscular, but still lean in build. He had a complexion that was darker than chocolate and just as rich. He had deep brown hair and alarmingly bright green eyes, like Elizabeth's, except they looked more like the colour of fresh green grass. His voice was deep and rich in a baritone manner.

"Uh, we...we're l-looking for Ted Mosby," Robin stuttered out.

The sudden presence of such a large character unhinged her a bit.

"Oh! Yeah, uh..." The tall man looked around quickly.

"This way."

He began to lead them up an escalator and down a hallway to a series of doors. As they walked past some of these doors, Marshall stole glances. Some doors had glass panels on them that had a view of the office inside. Man, this place was built so beautifully, and many of the rooms were designed so well. He had a feeling that Ted liked this place. As he continued looking, Marshall passed a door marked:

General R McLean

Inside, was an older man with ginger red hair and a fair complexion, and he wore horn rimmed glasses. He was arguing with someone else who was inside. The figure turned around to walk out of the office in a huff. It was that same guy who sat beside Robin on the plane.

The man opened the door and crashed in to Marshall, who hadn't had a chance to move when the door opened. The stranger fell to the ground as Marshall remained his strong composure.

"Oh god, are you ok?" Marshall asked, offering the stranger his hand to help him up.

The man smacked his hand away and got up by himself. He muttered something angrily and stormed off. Geez, what crawled up his pants and died? The older man walked out.

"I'm sorry about that."

Lily, Barney and Marshall giggled. There was that Canadian accent again. It wasn't as strong as Robins, but it was still there, as well as what could be determined as an Irish accent.

"What's his deal? Did someone forget to give him his doughnut this morning?" Robin asked, a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"No..." The older man sighed.

This was General McLean, as he introduced himself. He explained briefly that the other man, named Ed Mattice, was one of the Agents of IAA, who had just come off an extremely difficult assignment and was unhappy with how it turned out. He didn't give much detail. General McLean looked at the man that was with the group.

"Jabari, why don't you head off and find your brothers? Get some training in."

Jabari headed off and General McLean led the group to where he knew Ted Mosby was: His apartment room. They knocked and the door was opened. Robin flung herself in to Teds arms.

"Wha...what are you guys doing here?" Ted asked in shock as he held Robin in his embrace. The two let go and Robin composed herself.

"We...we uh...we c-came to give you a proper good-bye, Ted," Robin explained.

She looked down at her feet rather glumly. As usual, Ted was a bit clueless about Robins intentions. Marshall have Ted a quick glance that shifted to Robin.

"Oh...hey... Robin, let's talk, ok? Guys, I'll see you in a bit. Uh...there's a cafeteria downstairs. Take a right past the escalator and it'll be just up ahead," Ted directed.

With that, he guided Robin in to his apartment and closed the door.

"Ted, listen, I..."

"What the hell, Robin?!"

Robin jumped at the suddenness in his voice.

"Wha...?" She started.

"I told you guys that you can't see me ever again, and none of you listened to me! Do you have any idea what kind of danger you could be putting yourselves in?!" Ted yelled.

Robin jumped again. She had never seen Ted like this before. He was worried...not just worried...scared. Ted was scared about his friends sudden appareance in Canada.

"We had to, Ted. We had to tell you how much we love you in person before never seeing you again!" Robin exclaimed.

They both went silent. Ted finally caught on.

"You mean me, don't you? You love me."

Robin nodded. Ted looked sheepishly down at his feet and shuffled them, collecting his thoughts and feelings. He loved Robin, he really did. But considering the circumstances...it wouldn't be fair to her to love him, while fearing for his life.

"I...I can't...Robin." He looked up at her and placed both his hands on her shoulders, looking in to her sparkly brown eyes.

"I love you too, Robin. But...nothing can happen between us, especially not now. My life is different. I can do things that I never knew that I could. I can't let you be a part of my life, knowing that it could end just as easily as falling in love."

Taking his hands off of her shoulders, Ted did a small wave motion with them. Robin watched in awe as the empty space between them seemed to bend and take shape. Dark mahogany coloured bubbles appeared and began to make a shape. It was a figurine. Ted gave another gesture and appeared to harden the material in which he created. He grabbed it and handed it to Robin. She touched it and gasped.

Ted made this out of nothing. It felt so smooth. She turned it over. It was a small figurine of Ted himself. He wore his professors tweed jacket, and his hair did that rolled out of bed look. Every small detail of this miniature Ted was perfect.

"Keep it. It's yours. It'll help you remember what I look like."

Robin looked at Ted, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I love you." She said.

Ted gave her a knowing smile.

"I know."

* * *

Robin showed the gang the figurine as they walked the streets of Toronto. It was amazing what Ted could do without the use of real tools.

"Wow. You know, if he discovered that he had powers without Agent Striker around, he could have opened a business selling things like this," Lily commented.

"I think it's still so cool that Ted had superpowers. Creating something out of nothing? That's every persons dream," Marshall drooled.

"Baby, put your tongue away. You're slobbering like a dog," Lily spoke with some disgust in her voice.

"Sorry."

"Hey!" Barney spoke up.

The gang looked at him.

"Isn't that Ed?" Barney pointed.

They all looked up ahead. Sure enough, it was that strange man again; the one who sat beside Robin on the plane; the one who bumped in to Marshall inside IAA. Ed...with the strange red eyes. He was talking to some sketchy character up ahead, near the entrance of an alleyway.

"Let it go, Barney. That guy gives me the creeps," Marshall urged.

"Yeah. Something doesn't sit right with me about him," Robin added.

"He has the eyes of a psychopath," Lily muttered.

Barney knew sketchy characters, and Ed was definitely one of them. The question is why he felt this way about someone he didn't even know. What was this guys deal? General McLean said that he was another Agent. But...he never mentioned what Eds ability was. He had to have one...his eyes were an unnaturally red color.

Ed turned his head and saw the gang staring at him. They rushed to look casual before he noticed that they were looking. Lily and Marshall began to make out, Robin glances around awkwardly as if trying to find which direction to go, and Barney leaned up against the side of a building, texting.

It didn't work. The strange man approached them.

"What are you all staring at? Are you following me?" Ed confronted.

"What?! No...that's crazy talk. We weren't following you, we just happened to be walking in the same direction, that's all," Robin spoke unconvincingly.

Ed rolled his eyes, and they landed on the figurine of Ted that Robin was still holding. She didn't seem to noticed, and neither did the others. His glance went back to the group of strangers in front of him.

"Just stay away from me."

He walked off. Robin let out a deep sigh of relief. The others approached her.

"Damn, he scary," Robin gasped.

"Yeah, something's not right with him," Lily added.

"Maybe he's mentally unstable," Barney scoffed.

"Maybe whatever power he has makes him that way. Maybe he's an evil genius!" Marshall thought.

There was a brief pause of silence.

"Nah," They all said.

With that, they walked down to a pub.

* * *

"I can't believe my friends just showed up out of nowhere! What were they thinking, after I told them to stay away?!" Ted ranted.

Elizabeth stood in front of him, her arms folded across her body as she listened to the situation that Ted explained to her.

"And then Robin tells me that she loves me! Like...talk about terrible timing!"

With a sigh, Ted sat down in the office chair behind him. Ted had come to Elizabeth's office to explain what had happened. She was in the process of finishing up paperwork from her time in New York when Ted decided to walk in.

"I'll say." Elizabeth spoke, sotto voce.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Look, Ted, you did the right thing by telling her that nothing can happen between the two of you. Maintaining a long distance relationship, especially as a government agent, as well as being super powered is really hard. That's why I'm single. I can't take on that kind of responsibility when I already have to think about keeping the world safe," Elizabeth explained.

Ted nodded. He understood too.

"With great power comes great responsibility," Ted said.

"Wow. That's pretty profound. Did you just come up with that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh my god! How have you never watched the Spider-Man movies, or read the comic books?!" Ted exclaimed.

Elizabeth just shrugged. Unbelievable! She didn't know who Spider-Man was!

"You uncultered swine!"

"Ted..." Elizabeth sighed.

She stopped herself for a moment to think. She then remembered what Ted needed to do. He had to get fitted for his special suit.

"We've got to get you down to the lab. The people who work there are gonna need a demonstration of your powers and create you a suit."

Ted gasped.

"I get to wear a costume?!"

"Basically. What they're gonna do is see what your strengths and weaknesses are in terms of your powers, then create the suit to protect you against what you're weak against," Elizabeth explained.

"I have something like that."

She pushed a button on her desk and an empty wall space opened up. The sound of hydraulics gasped as it opened. Inside the panel was a black leathered catsuit. It had a v neck, cinched a bit at the waist, and stopped at the ankle. It was plain black. There were no special sequins or anything on it. Elizabeth closed the panel again.

"I hope I don't have to wear a catsuit," Ted spoke, slightly repulsed.

Elizabeth cracked up laughing as they left her office.

* * *

Ted found himself standing inside a chamber with a one way mirror. He began displaying several examples of his powers: Creating things out of nothing, some strength and speed, as well as endurance and intellect. His reflexes were pretty on par, as he was able to avoid being beaten up by various weapons.

His assessment wasn't too long and he came out of the chamber. He rounded the corner and bumped in to a woman, probably one of the few in the agency.

"Sorry, sorry..." Ted stopped and he looked at the woman.

She wore a white lab coat, as well as a button down lavender blouse, and dark pants. She had wedges on. Her hair was a beautiful dark color and was curled loosely. Her eyes were gorgeous; dark brown. She had soft features and a flawlessly fair complexion.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I totally didn't see you there."

Her voice was angelic. Ted found himself entranced.

"Uh, I'm Ted Mosby," He introduced, sticking out his hand.

She took it in a shake.

"I'm Tracy. Tracy McConnell. I'm head of the science department here."

* * *

Awww, it's Tracy! What do ya think of that?

Also, what's Ed's deal?


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey all, sorry it's been so long since I last updated! I have been busy with school!**

 **This is an AU HIMYM fanficiton, and I do not own the tv show characters. Unrelated characters are my own invention.**

* * *

 _Kids, the day that I met your mother, I knew right away that she was the one._

 _It wasn't even the big things that got me hooked. It was all the little things that she did._

 _It was the way that she made sure that I was alright while adjusting to the agency._

 _It was also the way that she treated her coworkers, and the others around her._

 _Your mother was the kindest, most caring woman that I had ever met. She was also super smart, considering the fact that she was the head of the science department of IAA at the time..._

* * *

"So, Ted Mosby, your suit will be ready in a couple of days," Tracy announced.

"Awesome. So, what's it gonna look like? Is it gonna be super epic? It's not gonna be a catsuit, is it? Because I don't think I have the figure to pull it off," Ted rambled, tracing his body with his hands.

Tracy chuckled. Wow...her smile was gorgeous!

"Don't worry, it won't be a catsuit," Tracy reassured.

"Oh, thank god!" Ted praised, clutching his chest in relief.

There was a little pause, and a smirk ran across Tracys' face.

"It's going to be a leotard," She joked.

Ted picked up on her joke, and played along.

"Wow...wow...I am...I am shocked, Doctor McConnell. I didn't think that you'd be able to contain all of this in to a leotard," Ted joked, gesturing to his body.

Tracy laughed. That sound was like music to Teds ears. It was the most genuine laugh that he had heard lately.

"You're a funny guy, Ted Mosby," Tracy spoke.

"Well, I try," Ted replied, humbly bragging.

Tracy giggled. Ted had a thought, mulled it over, then spoke up.

"You know, I feel like it's rather unfair that you had to design my suit without me paying for it through my own pocket. Can I return the favor by taking you out to dinner tonight?" Ted asked.

Tracy smiled, thought about it, then nodded.

"I'd like that, Ted Mosby."

"Okay, you can just call me Ted, you know."

"Nah. I like Ted Mosby better," Tracy smiled.

Ted couldn't help but smile back.

"Great! Uh, well...I don't really know Toronto that well yet..."

"I'll pick the place. I'll meet you at your apartment around six thirty?" Tracy suggested.

Ted nodded. Six-thirty it was. He left the science lab, a smile on his face and a spring in his step. As he walked down the halls, Ted realized that he hadn't heard from Elizabeth since his friends showed up and he ranted about it to her. Didn't she say that there should be an indication as to who would want to use the agents of IAA as weapons by now?

Ted decided to go find out what she knew, and headed to her office. On the way, he bumped in to someone.

"Oh my god, what is it with you people lately!?" A voice growled.

Ted got to his feet and stepped back in shock. A man stood in front of him, with dark hair and alarming red eyes.

"Geez man, I'm sorry. I didn't see you," Ted apologized.

The man rolled his red eyes in annoyance.

"That's what your New Yorker friends told me too, Ted."

"How...how do you know my name?"

The man with the red eyes rolled them again. Something about him bothered Ted, but he didn't know what it was. Ted just knew that he felt unsettled around him.

"So, are you gonna get out of my way, or am I gonna have to make you?" The man asked.

Ted didn't want to know what this guy could do. He sidestepped and let him past. He turned around and watched the stranger walk off. Ted scrunched his eyes.

"What is this guys deal?"

Giving his head a shake and letting out a sigh, Ted continued on his way to find Elizabeth. He finally came to her office and took a peak inside. She was in there, with General McLean and another man who was just a bit older than the General. This man was tall, had white hair, and blue eyes, with a beige gold complexion. Ted knocked on the door, and waited until Elizabeth allowed him in.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything..." Ted apologized.

"No, it's fine. I was actually thinking about having you here to listen to this," Elizabeth explained.

She gestured to the unfamiliar man in the room.

"Ted, this is President Maxwell Edson. President Edson, this is Ted Mosby, our newest recruit. I'm sorry that we haven't really had the time to introduce you two," Elizabeth explained.

"It's alright, Agent Striker. It's nice to meet you, Ted," President Edson extended his hand.

Ted shook it, then the two broke the hand embrace.

"So, did you find out who's behind those attacks and wants to turn every powered being here in to weapons?" Ted asked.

Elizabeth, General McLean, and President Edson exchanged a look; one of concern. Did they know...or...?

"We...we don't. There aren't enough clues to indicate who it could be. But we're going to work on it. I'm being put in charge of the assignment," Elizabeth explained.

"Oh."

Ted wasn't really sure how he was supposed to feel. He knew that this was real life, and not the stuff made of television, comic books, or fanfiction. These things took some time to piece together. Who knew how long it would take?

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologized.

"No, it's okay. I mean...this isn't a tv show after all. Hey, so...did you settle the problem about how people in New York thought you were behind the terrorist attacks?" Ted talked.

Elizabeth nodded.

"We were able to clear the air with the officials down in New York. Agent Striker is no longer being searched for by citizens or other officials," President Edson explained.

"It's my duty to make sure that my Agents are taken care of."

"Cool, cool, cool...so...! Now what?" Ted asked.

"Oh, well, since your friends decided to show up without my knowing about it, I think maybe we should go meet them and have that official good-bye," Elizabeth suggested.

Ted nodded.

"Oh, I do have to be back here before six-thirty," Ted mentioned as all four left her office.

General McLean headed off to his office while President Edson stayed with Elizabeth and Ted.

"Why? You're not scheduled for anything," Elizabeth commented.

"I know...I just happened to ask the head of the science department out to dinner," Ted announced sheepishly.

Elizabeth smirked and President Edson glared at Ted.

"Fuck this up, and I'll have your head. Doctor McConnell is a nice lady, and if you hurt her..." President Edson threatened.

"Woah, President Edson, take it easy. Ted is a good-guy. He'll keep your granddaughter safe," Elizabeth reassured.

"Gra-grandda-daughter?" Ted stuttered.

"On her mothers side. So, you're gonna treat her right, got it?" President Edson spoke with sterness in his tone.

"Y-yeah of-of course, s-sir."

President Edson grinned.

"Good man. Have fun, then."

President Edson walked off. Elizabeth turned back to look at Ted and saw a look of panic on his face. She burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, your expression is priceless!"

She continued to laugh. Ted rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. This was not what he expected. He was going on a date...with the Presidents granddaughter!

"Oh, I'm sorry for laughing, Ted," Elizabeth apologized, finally calming down and wiping a stray tear away.

"Let's go," Ted muttered embarassingly.

The two left to go meet up with his friends.

* * *

Out on the streets, Ted remembered an encounter he had earlier.

"Hey, so, what's the deal with the guy who has red eyes?" Ted asked.

Elizabeth cringed and tensed up. What was that all about?

"Don't pay any attention to him, Ted."

She walked on in silence. Ted noticed that there was something that she was hiding, but he didn't pry. If she wanted to tell him, she would. It was probably not that important anyways. Coming in to a pub, Ted and Elizabeth found Robin, Barney, Marshall and Lily.

"Ted!" Robin exclaimed.

She got up from the booth and went to hug him. He returned the embrace, but kept it short before he pulled away. Robin seemed a little confused by the sudden action.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Elizabeth told them.

They all walked out of the pub and went down a little ways until they came to a park. Ted and his friends formed a circle, while Elizabeth stood a few feet away to give them their privacy...well...as much as she could without hearing too much with her advanced hearing.

"So...this is really it, huh?" Marshall asked, looking at Ted.

"Yeah...it really is. But hey, once this whole thing blows over, I can see you guys as often as I can," Ted explained.

"But...what if...what if you don't...you know..." Robin began, choking up a bit.

"Hey...nothing is going to happen to me, I promise," Ted reassured.

He hugged Robin again, but a few seconds shorter than the last embrace.

"Do...do you still want me to send you a costume?" Lily asked, hopeful.

"Heh, thanks for the offer, Lil, but that's already being taken care of," Ted told her.

"Rats!"

Ted chuckled, and gave Lily a hug. Then he moved on to Barney. The two stared at each other for a brief second.

"Thanks, Barney, for everything you've done to help. I'm sorry that I can't be around anymore to be your 'bro'," Ted apologized.

"That's okay! I didn't need you anways!" Barney spoke as he tried to contain tears.

Ted rolled his eyes. Barney was always such a drama King. A little grin on his face, Ted and Barney gave a short embrace, then broke apart. Finally, it was Marshalls turn. Marshall lowered his gaze, put his hands in the front pocket of his jeans, and shifted his weight a little.

"So...you're really going to do this. You're going to be a superhero," Marshall spoke, finally looking up at Ted.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'superhero' per say...but...well...hell yes," Ted grinned.

Marshall chuckled.

"Well, if we ever need help, we know who to call."

"Who you gonna call!?" Barney shouted, avec Ghostbusters tune.

"Ted Mosby!" The others replied.

They all shared a laugh, and Ted made sure to relish this memory before it ended. But finally, it was time to leave. With one last good-bye to his friends, he watched them walk off to hail a Taxi, got in, and the yellow cab drove off towards the airport.

"See you soon, guys," Ted said to himself.

* * *

 ** _5:30pmTeds IAA apartment_**

After the good-byes, Elizabeth and Ted had returned to IAA, and Ted had been in training and classes for the rest of the afternoon. By the time five-thirty rolled around, he was back in his apartment, getting ready for his date with Tracy.

He showered, shaved, dressed in a button down top with a brown sweater vest on top, with dark washed jeans, then styled his hair with the classic Mosby look. That part took the majority of his routine.

"Wow, you look good," A female voice spoke up.

Ted gasped and spun around. Elizabeth was standing in the doorway of his apartment.

"God, don't you knock!?"

"I did."

Ted let out an exhale, then turned to face the mirror to readjust his clothes one more time.

"Relax, you look fine, Ted. Tracy is going to like you no matter what," Elizabeth reassured.

"Do you know her pretty well?"

Elizabeth shrugged.

"Kind of. She was the first woman who joined shortly after I did, so we had that in common. But hey, you can get to know her without me giving anything away," Elizabeth answered.

"Does she have abilities?"

"That's for her to tell..."

 _"Oh my god, dad! Did mom have powers too!?" Penny asked._

 _"Would you stop interrupting me? I'm getting there!" Ted replied._

 _"Come on, dad, did mom have powers or not?" Luke pushed._

 _Ted sighed..._

* * *

 **Stelvio Restaurant7:10pm**

"Wow, this place seems a little fancy," Ted gaped in awe, as he sat down at a table.

He then gaped at Tracy, who was looking amazing in a soft purple peplum top with a sweetheart neckline, and black slim legged pants. A silver necklace draped down her collarbone. God, she was so pretty!

"Don't worry, it's not too pricey. That's why I chose it," Tracy explained.

"Oh thank god! My next paycheque from work doesn't come in until the end of the week," Ted replied in relief.

"So, what do you do, Ted Mosby?" Tracy asked.

"You know...before you came to IAA?"

So, Ted told her about his life as an architect, how he became the youngest man in New York to be on the cover of Time magazine, and his other accomplishments.

"Wow, that's really impressive, and I must say, it explains your abilities quite well. They compliment your work life," Tracy observed.

"So, what about you? How did you end up working with IAA?" Ted asked.

Tracy clicked her tongue behind her teeth.

"Well as you know, President Edson is my grandfather on my mothers side...and when I graduated from college, I was struggling to find work, so he had me come here. That's pretty much it," Tracy explained.

"Huh. So, does your grandpa have abilities?" Ted asked.

Tracy nodded. She explained that President Edson had clairvoyance. Then, Ted had that question pop up.

"So...does that mean that you have abilities?"

Tracy paused, and gave Ted a look, as if debating whether to answer his question or not. As she began to open her mouth to speak, a bright yellow light came from the window beside them, and they both turned to see a car speeding towards the window!

"Look out!" Ted yelled.

Throwing his hand out, he used his ability to push the chair that Tracy sat on away from the window, just as the car came crashing through the glass window; taking the wall with it! People in the restaurant screamed and ran away from the car that had crashed on through. Ted had had just enough time to throw himself out of harms way when the car had come on through. From where he lay on the ground, Ted looked up to see four dark clothed figures step out of the car; their faces covered with masks save for their eyes.

"Everybody down on the ground! This is a robbery!" The supposed leader of the group yelled; a machine gun in his hands.

Ted looked frantically for Tracy. Looking across the room, he saw her crouched down behind a booth bench that was intact. She made eye contact with him, and then Ted heard her voice...in his head!

 ** _"Ted, listen to me. Don't freak out. Yes, I have telepathy, but that's not the only thing. Look, we've got to stop these guys."_**

Ted didn't know how to respond back to her, and almost spoke outloud before seeing Tracy shake her head at him. Ted tried to focus his thoughts to her. This was so cool! Ted was now able to actually have a real telepathic converation with someone!

Finally, he was able to focus, all while the robbers went around the restaurant, collecting peoples valuables.

 _ **"Okay, but what's the plan?"**_ Ted asked in his mind.

Tracy looked at him, then at a robber who approached her, grabbing her by the arm and lifting Tracy to her feet.

"Take off the necklace and hand it over!" He barked.

Tracy looked at Ted with a look in her eye that said to do something. Tracy wouldn't dare give up her necklace. It belonged to her mother.

Ted stood up.

"Hey!"

The four robbers turned to look at him.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

With that, Ted focused his energies on the many objects around him to create a weapon of sorts. He didn't have gun, so he created one with the materials that were required. He felt some aluminum in the room, a nice touch for what he wanted. Eventually, his weapon was created and resting in his hands. Not bad. It was about the same size as the machine gun the leader held. Ted aimed it.

"Let her go!" Ted demanded.

The leader burst out laughing, and tightened his grip of Tracy. He ripped her necklace off of her!

"You boys came to the wrong restaurant tonight," Tracy seethed.

With her free hand, she raised it high and colors appeared; dancing in the air. People were in awe, as were Ted and the four robbers. With a grunt, Tracy threw her hand out towards the three robbers, and the lights raced across the room, knocking them down! She then put her hand between her and the man holding her, and a red light appeared in the form of a ball. It grew and grew until it combusted, sending her assailant flying across the restaurant!

"Wow..." Ted gaped.

Tracy ran towards the robber. Ted followed, keeping his gun on the three that were knocked out. Tracy retrieved her necklace, then the black bag the robber held. Ted did the same thing, then he created some rope to tie them all up until the police arrived. Once they were all subdued, they returned the stolen valuables back to their owners when the police finally arrived.

* * *

 _"Wow! Mom sounded like a badass!" Luke exclaimed._

 _"Hey, watch your language," Ted warned._

 _"Oh come on, dad, you swear too. Where else do you think we got it from?" Penny asked._

 _Rats, he had to be careful about that._

 _"So...mom had telepathy and...what's the other one?" Luke asked._

 _"She called it Enhanced Synesthesia. It's a manipulation of sound waves," Ted explained._

 _"Wooooowww," Penny and Luke gaped in awe._

* * *

 **Later...**

After wrapping things up with the police and being let go for the rest of the night, Ted and Tracy took to the park and walked around. The silence between them was a mix of things; awkward and uncertainty. Ted wracked his brains to try to figure out what to say. He was still trying to make sense of what happened. It seemed kind of random that there would be a robbery at the restaurant that they went to. Like...it could have happened anywhere...but it happened where they were. Was it a coincidence, or was it just circumstancial?

"I guess I should explain myself," Tracy finally spoke up.

The two stopped in their tracks, and Ted turned to face her. Tracy looked down at her hands, which were still holding her necklace. The clasp had been ruined when it was yanked off of her. There was brief pause before she continued.

"I have abilities too. I have Enhanced Synethesia," Tracy announced.

Ted had no idea what she was talking about. He knew about telepathy, but he had never heard about this before. Seeing the puzzled look on his face, Tracy explained to him what it was.

"So...those lights were sound waves?" Ted asked.

Tracy nodded.

"How long have you had these abilities?"

She let out a deep breath.

"Since I was twelve. I couldn't control them, and that made me pretty dangerous. That was the other reason I came to IAA. My grandfather tried to get me away from my parents, since they didn't want me using my powers. Grandpa took me in to help me learn to control them. But, they can be pretty dangerous," Tracy explained.

Ted nodded, then did some more thinking...and what he was thinking was that the robbery was no coincidence.

"Did you get a good look at your attackers face?" Ted asked.

"Well, he was wearing a mask..." Tracy started.

"Right, I know...but what about his eyes? Did anything about them stick out?" Ted asked.

Tracy thought back, then a light went off in her head.

"They were...strange. I'd never seen that color before, except on people with albinism," She spoke.

Ted didn't like where this was going. He knew what she was going to say...

"He had red eyes."

There was a brief pause, before Ted grabbed her hand and summoned the ground beneath his feet. They had to get back to IAA...and fast!

* * *

 **Yeah...I think y'all know where this is going.**

 **Review below!**


	11. Chapter 11

**All HIMYM characters belong to Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.**

 **Unrelated characters are my own invention.**

 **Double Update because I feel bad for not writing this for so long. Don't convince me to not feel bad, okay?**

 **Read and review!**

* * *

 **IAA Headquarters6:30pm**

After Ted left for his date with Tracy, Elizabeth and Joshua headed on out as well. The two of them were silent, and had been since their fight in New York. Elizabeth was too mad at him. What he had said was unforgiveable. She had been avoiding him ever since they got back from New York. Unfortunatly, avoiding him wasn't something she could do for the rest of her life. Eventually, he was needed since he was working the case with her. But still, she never spoke to him.

"Elizabeth, will you please talk to me? I'm sorry for what I said," Joshua apologized.

Elizabeth didn't reply. The two were walking down the grittier part of Toronto, meeting up with a source of Elizabeths'. They had contacted her with some valuable information pertaining to the case. The source could possibly know who was behind the attack in New York, and who wanted to use some of the more powerful members of IAA as military weapons.

Finally, they arrived at the agreed location. The two waited in tense silence for the source to show up. About two minutes passed before a tall man, with a beak like nose and white spiky hair approached.

"Hawk," Elizabeth called out.

"Black Shadow."

Elizabeth smirked. Teds code name for her was catching on. She liked it.

"You heard, huh?" She commented.

"Nothing gets passed us, Agent Striker. It's a pretty badass code name."

The man coughed before continuing.

"So, where's my money?"

Elizabeth looked at Joshua briefly and nodded her head towards Hawk. Joshua sighed, and fished out his wallet. Because she wasn't talking to him, Joshua had to pick up on her subtle clues as to what she wanted or needed him to do. He thumbed through some bills, before handing over one-hundred dollars.

"One-hundred dollars?" Hawk squawked.

"You'll get the other half after you tell me what you know," Elizabeth spoke sotto voce.

Hawk rolled his eyes.

"Fine. From what's been whispered in the underground, the person behind the attack and conspiracy is someone inside IAA."

"Are you saying this is an inside job?" Joshua asked, shocked.

"Positive."

"Do you know who?" Elizabeth asked.

Hawk looked at her, then at Joshua. Joshua felt a little unsettled by the way this informant was looking at him, as if he was a piece of meat or something. Joshua looked away from the informant.

"Not entirely. But it's someone whose never too far away; someone close. My suggestion: Keep a watchful eye on President Edsons office tonight," Hawk explained.

With a nod, Joshua handed over the rest of the money, then watched the informant disappear.

"He gives me the creeps."

Elizabeth again didn't reply, but did give a little nod in agreement. She walked away and Joshua followed.

"Are you ever going to talk to me?"

No reply. Sighing, Joshua followed her on back to IAA.

* * *

Arriving back, the two went over to President Edson office to see if he was there.

He wasn't. The office was dark and empty.

"You're not thinking about staying out here all night hiding in the shadows just to see if someone that shouldn't be going in there, goes in there, are you?" Joshua asked.

Elizabeth looked at him, folded her arms across her chest, then looked away with a look that seemed to say 'why not'? Joshua seethed.

"For crying out loud, how old are you! Six?" Joshua exploded.

Elizabeth glared daggers at him. Joshua didn't back down.

"Sooner or later, you're going to have to talk to me again."

She flipped him the bird. Joshua glared angrily at her.

"You know what, fine! Be that way. I'm leaving. Have fun sulking in the shadows," Joshua grumbled and stormed off.

What was his problem? Ever since New York, he had been so grumpy; impatient. It didn't happen until after Ted told them that he had powers. Did Joshua feel threatened by Ted? Because there was nothing going on between them. Elizabeth had no romantic interests in Ted, and well...he was currently on a date with Tracy McConnell. So, what was Joshuas' problem? Without talking to him, Elizabeth had to use her powers of deduction to find out...and it didn't take long for things to click.

Joshua was lonely. He was the only person in IAA without abilities of his own. He felt like he didn't belong. Elizabeth knew how that felt. When she first gained her abilities, she was different from all of the others around her. She used to be on her own too. When Joshua told her that people needed protecting from her, he was talking about how he needed protecting, because without abilities, and just the skills that he had, Joshua was weak. And men hated being viewed as weak.

She felt bad. As Elizabeth continued to hide in the shadows while keeping an eye on President Edsons office door, she pulled out her phone to call him. She listened to the phone ring a couple of times.

 **This is Agent Reynolds. I'm not here right now. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you.**

Strange...why did it go to his voicemail? He was the one who kept begging her to talk to him. Then again, he could be busy and just wasn't able to answer right now. Hanging up the phone, Elizabeth put it back in her pocket just as she saw someone approach the door. Their back was too her, so she had no clue who it was. They appeared to be limping and were hunched over. The figure fiddled with the door handle when Elizabeth stepped out of the shadows.

"Ya know, President Edson doesn't take kindly to people breaking in to his office," She spoke up.

The figure turned around.

"I'm sure he won't mind."

"President Edson! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it was you..."

Elizabeth stopped and looked at the older man. He seemed to be in discomfort.

"Are you alright, sir?"

President Edson shook his head and unlocked his office door. Just as he walked in, he began to fall over.

"Sir!" Elizabeth caught him and helped him over to his couch in the corner.

She set him down carefully and laid a blanket on him.

"What's wrong?"

"I need my...medication. In the top right drawer of my desk," President Edson wheezed.

Nodding, Elizabeth went to grab it, as well as his water bottle that was sitting atop the desk. She brought them over and he took them. He popped a pill in his mouth, and drank some water. After a few seconds, he was able to sit up.

"I saw what the medication label was. You have appendicitis," Elizabeth observed.

President Edson nodded.

"Among other things. I'm getting old, Agent Striker. My time in IAA is becoming limited," He explained.

Elizabeth frowned, but wasn't devastated. She understood that one day he wouldn't be around to govern over IAA.

"Have you picked your successor?" She asked.

President Edson nodded.

"General McLean is planning on retirement in the near future. He picked Agent Coolidge to be his successor. I think Agent Reynolds would be a perfect fit to govern over IAA," President Edson explained.

"Really?"

"Yes. He has proved himself worthy of being here. He doesn't need abilities to lead IAA. He has a good heart."

"You didn't want Tracy to take your place?"

"Tracy is a good kid too, but I know where her strengths and weaknesses lie. Plus, she's not one to bask in the limelight of things."

"Fair."

There was a pause between the two.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

Another pause.

"Do you happen to know who could be behind the attacks and plan to turn some of us in to military weapons? A source of mine said it's someone here in IAA," Elizabeth explained.

President Edson shook his head.

"I have no idea, Elizabeth. I'm sorry."

"That's alright. Rest easy, sir."

Elizabeth got up and helped President Edson pull out the hide-a-bed that was inside his couch. She set it up, and assisted him back in to bed. After he was comfortable, she left his office; turning on a dim light before closing the door behind her. Once in the hallway, Elizabeth leaned up against the wall, her arms folded in front of her. She seemed deep in thought. She was putting together what she knew...which was still very little. There wasn't really much evidence as to who this mystery person was. All she knew were the facts at hand.

"Maybe Joshua found something."

She pulled out her phone to call him. Then, she remembered that he didn't answer the last time. Pulling up his information, Elizabeth enabled his tracking device in his phone. He was in his car, heading towards Hamilton. What was in Hamilton? She went to go find out. Perhaps he had an informant of his own, or he had discovered a lead that took him there. Coming to the garage, Elizabeth got in her car; a red volkswagen jetta. Turning on her engine, she left the garage, only to be stopped when she saw Ted and Tracy rush in. She slammed on the brakes!

"What the hell, Ted!? I almost ran you down!" Elizabeth yelled, rolling down her window.

"We know who's behind the attacks!" Ted exclaimed.

"Get in."

Tracy and Ted climbed in to the backseat of Elizabeths car as she drove.

"Wait, where are you going, he's inside!"

"Who is?"

"Ed Mattice!"

Elizabeth slammed on the brakes again.

"Are you sure?"

"I got a good look at his eyes. It was definitely Ed behind the mask," Tracy explained.

"This makes no sense. Why Ed? Yeah, he's weird, but he's also kinda dumb. There's no way he could be behind the attacks all on his own. He must be working for someone. He's just the muscle," Elizabeth determined.

She pulled out her phone and turned on Eds tracking device. Weird...he was in Hamilton as well. Elizabeth looked at Joshuas tracker. His was way off from where Eds was. Joshua probably had no clue, or at least was about to find out.

"Buckle up, guys. This is going to be one hell of a ride."

"I'd do as she says, Ted. She's not kidding."

Ted looked at Elizabeth with some concern as he buckled him. As soon as it buckle clicked in place, Elizabeth stepped on the gas and drove at a high speed; one that she was allowed to get away with as she turned on her siren.

* * *

 **Hamilton, Ontario**

 **10:00pm**

By the time Tracy, Ted and Elizabeth arrived in Hamilton, the three of them were changed. Elizabeth had a spare catsuit in the trunk, and Tracy, with her scientific mind, created a way to store hers in her little purse. All she had to do was add a drop of water, and it expanded. Her outfit was a dark red ombre jumpsuit with a halter top style to it. She also had on dark red boots. Ted had changed in to a simple black outfit to help blend in. They had arrived at the place that Eds tracker took them too.

"So, what do we do?" Tracy asked.

Elizabeth looked around the building. It was the Century Manor Insane Asylum...or at least half of it. The main building was gone. Elizabeth looked at the tracker. It said that Ed was right in this spot...but...where? She didn't see him anywhere, with and without her enhanced vision abilities.

"Wait, wait...this is the Century Manor Insane Asylum. I learned about this place in college. It was built in the eighteen hundreds, and was home to the criminally insane. They say its haunted," Ted started rambling.

"Is there a point to this architectural rant?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm getting there. See, when this place was built, they made tunnels..."

"Say no more, Ted. Where are the tunnels?" Elizabeth asked.

"If I remember correctly from my history classes..." Ted walked around a little, looking at the ground beneath his feet.

He stopped when he hit something. Bending down, he moved some dirt aside to expose a handle. He pulled on it and opened a door. Tracy and Elizabeth walked on over.

"Ladies first," Ted gestured.

Elizabeth went down first, then Tracy. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, Ted followed after them and closed the tunnel door. Climbing down the ladder and reaching the bottom, Ted searched for the women in the dark.

"Tracy, wanna give us a light?" Ted heard Elizabeths voice.

The tunnel brightened up with a softly dim light of deep sea blue. It was a beautiful color; and it complimented Tracy perfectly. It also only shone on the three of them, and seemed to blend flawlessy with the nautral darkness of the tunnel, to keep them from being caught. The three of them walked down the tunnel, with Tracy and Ted following after Elizabeth as she used her hearing senses. Even with her enhanced hearing, Elizabeth couldn't make out the voices that she was hearing. But as they got closer, she could definitely hear Eds voice. He was talking to someone, but the other person wasn't replying at the time.

"So, everything is ready, then?" Ed asked.

Elizabeth didn't hear a reply. She continued walking until she came to an archway. She stayed behind and hugged the wall. Ted and Tracy copied her. Elizabeth leaned forward slightly to peer into the open area that Ed was in. He was talking to someone who was hiding in a dark corner, tinkering at something. There was some advanced machinery in the open area, as well as a surgical table. There was also a prison cell. What the hell was all of this?

"What do we do?" Ted whispered.

Elizabeth turned to look at him.

"Start recording. We need to expose this," Elizabeth handed Ted her phone.

This was the first time that Ted actually got to hold her phone. He knew it was advanced...he didn't realize how advanced it was. It was confusing. He still had his old one, since his plan wasn't done yet. It was just a little rectangle in his hand. The screen was on and the icons on it seemed complicated...but they were labeled.

"Ah, camera." He tapped on the icon and the camera screen popped up.

"Woah...how do I record?" Ted asked.

Tracy help him as Elizabeth slowly and quietly made her way in to the open area; sticking to the shadows to avoid Ed. As she hid in the shadows and made her way around, she came to see the front side of Ed and she cringed. God, he always creeped her out. They had a bit of a history, but nothing serious. She had ended their casual relationship and he seemed chill with it. Eventually, she was close enough to see him fully from the front side.

Behind the archway, Tracy had helped Ted with the recording on Elizabeths phone, and she called General McLean to tell him about the situation. She kept her voice low and quiet.

Elizabeth listened to Ed talk to whoever else was in the room with him. Who was it? She used her night vision, but couldn't really see much since she was a little out of range. Hopefully they decided to speak up; it would help determine who it could be.

"Well you know, if you don't want to say anything, you don't have to," Ed spoke to the mystery figure.

"When do I get paid? You said that if I did those attacks, I would get some money. I set up the terrorist attack in New York for you, and I almost got away with robbing that restaurant before Mosby and McConnell stopped me," Ed explained.

Elizabeth held back a gasp. Ted and Tracy had been attacked? ON THEIR DATE!? Oh, Ed was going down. Elizabeth stepped out of the shadows.

"Almost...but luckily, Ted and Tracy are way more powerful than you think," Elizabeth spoke up.

Ed nearly jumped out of his skin when Elizabeth revealed herself to him.

"So, you're just someones lackey. Figures, since you're a little too slow to come up with something like this," Elizabeth gestured to the advanced machinery.

"How did you find me?" Ed asked.

"Uh duh, you have a tracking device in your phone, remember?"

Ed looked awkwardly in to the darkness behind Elizabeth. Elizabeth noticed and turned around.

"I'd like to meet the real brains behind this whole thing. Planning to turn the most powerful members of IAA in to weapons against the military? I gotta admit, that's pretty smart." Elizabeth spoke up, arms folded across her chest.

Slowly, the figure walked out of the shadows one foot at a time; the light creeping up their body as they slowly walked out.

* * *

 _"Hang on, kids, I gotta refill my water cup," Ted excused himself._

 _"DAD!" Penny cried in agony._

 _"UGH! Man, dad sucks! I hate cliffhangers!" Luke complained._

 _The two groaned as they waited for their dad._ _Ted finally came back in to the study with his water cup. He sat it on top of his desk, then continued with the story._

* * *

The figure walked out of the shadows one foot at a time; the light creeping up their body as they slowly walked out. Elizabeths eyes widened in horror as the man before her revealed himself. She felt tears of betrayal begin to run down her face.

"No..." She gasped in a whisper.

Steely blue eyes stared in to her emerald green ones. A masculine hand slicked back coal black hair, then readjusted the collar of the dark blue leather jacket that they wore.

"Oh yes," The man spoke.

Ted had no idea who was revealing themselves, as he kept hidden behind the archway, while only the tip of the camera peeked out of the corner. He couldn't look at the screen. He couldn't even hear who it was, since they spoke in a low tone.

"Why?" Elizabeth asked, seemingly disappointed at the man standing in front of her.

He stepped forward and gripped her tightly by her arms. He got right in to her face and gave her a short shake as he spoke.

"Power! That's why! All of my life, I've done what others told me; men in power who made me do their bidding. I grew to hate every single one of them. That's why I'm doing this, Elizabeth. Because with you and every other powerful member of IAA, I can give these men what they deserve."

Elizabeth felt more tears run down her face, and her body grew weak from the intense emotion of betrayal in her heart. She looked up at the man with the steely blue eyes.

"I'm so disappointed in you...Joshua."

Hearing Elizabeth speak the name, Ted and Tracy gasped silently.

Joshua let go of Elizabeth and stood tall.

"Why should you? You're not even my girlfriend. You have no sincere emotions for me," He spoke.

"Ed, bring Ted Mosby and his girlfriend in here," Joshua ordered.

"You knew?! Ted! Get out of here!" Elizabeth yelled.

Hearing this, Ted ended the recording and went to pocket his phone in a panic. Tracy was already halfway down the tunnel to meet up with General McLean when Elizabeth yelled out. Ed rounded the corner and threw his fist out; connecting it with Teds nose. Hearing cartlidge break, Ted cried in pain and double over.

"Ted!" Tracy yelled.

"Go!" Ted shouted.

Tracy climbed the ladder and left the tunnel as Ed gripped Ted by the jacket and dragged him in to the open area. He dragged him over to the cell, opened the door, and threw him in. Closing the cell door, Ed locked it.

"A cage won't hold me," Ted seethed.

"Uh, yeah it will," Joshua replied.

He grabbed a small remote and pressed a button. The cell began to light up, and the bars that Ted held on to burned the palms of his hands. With a yelp, Ted pulled his hands away. Fired up, Ted threw out his hand to focus on energy to create a way out of the cell. Except...

Ted felt no energy emit from his palms.

He tried again.

Nothing.

"Yeah, I'm not an idiot. I designed the cell to keep people like you from using your abilities," Joshua explained.

"You must have a degree in Advanced Technology Engineering," Ted observed.

"That, and I did work at Charmichael Tech for a while. I may have stolen some idea," Joshua shrugged.

He turned his attention back to Elizabeth, who seemed to have gone in some sort of catatonic state. Joshua grinned, for he knew why she ended up in the state that she was currently in.

"Aw, poor Elizabeth. Post traumatic stress will do that to you, I guess. You know...from the last time you were experimented on? I guess you're not as tough as you think you are," Joshua mocked.

"Leave her alone!" Ted demanded.

"Tracy is on her way back with General McLean, and trust me, you don't want to know what they'll do to you!"

Joshua cracked up with laughter, and Ed chuckled.

"I was actually kind of hoping that someone would go get General McLean. He'll bring the powerful ones back here...which is kind of what I want," Joshua explained.

Teds eyes widened in horror.

"This was all a set up, wasn't it!? This is just an elaborate trap! Get all of the powerful agents of IAA in here, trap them, and brainwash them to do your bidding!" Ted realized.

"Oh good, you're not as stupid as I thought. Yeah, that's pretty much it. As soon as they enter the tunnel, I can seal off the door. The entire tunnel is wired with the same stuff as the cage that you're in. Once that turns on...well...you know," Joshua explained.

Ted felt panic begin to set in. Tracy...

Robin, Marshall, Lily and Barney! He promised them that nothing would ever happen to him! That promise was now broken. Ted couldn't use his powers and pretty soon...nobody else would be able to either.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Come on, you've gotta snap out of it! Elizabeth!" Ted pleaded.

Joshua looked at Elizabeth again. She didn't so much as flinch. He shook his head with disappointment.

"I at least thought that I'd get a fight out of this," Joshua remarked.

"What are you going to do with her while we wait for the others?" Ed asked.

Joshua looked Elizabeth up and down, a look of lust blazing in his steely blue eyes. He then spread his lips in to a malicious grin.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do."

"No...no! Elizabeth! Snap out of it!" Ted yelled, gripping the bars.

They burned his hands again, but Ted bit through the pain as he continued yelling.

"Elizabeth!"

He watched as Joshua grabbed her and led her in to the shadows.

"NOOOO!"

* * *

 **End scene**


	12. Chapter12

**Sorry it's been so long! Here's what's been going on: I got pregnant in November, and gave birth to my baby girl on July 4, 2019, at 12:35am. I've been slowly recovering, and decided that I needed to get back in to doing something that I love, which is writing. I've also been watching HIMYM again during the days while feeding my newborn. She is my first, so everything is a learning curve for me.**

* * *

 **Anyways, I do not own any characters from HIMYM. This is an AU story. Unrelated characters are my own creation.**

 **Rated T for violence**

* * *

IAA HEADQUARTERS

Midnight

Tracy bolted in to IAA, and quickly made her way up to the second floor, where General McLeans office was. Seeing the light on in his office, Tracy burst right on in.

"General, we've got trouble! Ted and Agent Striker are in danger!" Tracy blurted.

The authoritarian perked up when he heard her speak.

"Trouble? Danger? What's going on, Doctor McConnell?" General McLean asked.

Tracy gave a brief synopsis of the situation as she led General McLean out of his office and down to the main entrance.

"I'll gather up the rest of our agents, and we'll storm the place," General McLean suggested.

"Isn't that a bit extreme, General? It's just two guys. Surely we can take them on our own," Tracy pointed out.

"You've got a point. It is just the two of them. Still, we need someone to come with us; someone who's powers would prove useful," General McLean observed.

"But, who?" Tracy asked.

The two thought over the situation, and went over which Agent would be the best to bring for this dangerous mission. Tracy was quick to think of the best one available.

"Agent Takeda, sir. He has ninja like powers. He's sneaky and is a master of escape," Tracy spoke up.

"Good call. I'll get him. Meet us in the parking lot."

With a nod, the two went their separate ways. As Tracy walked to the parking arcade, she saw her grandfather coming from out of the infirmary. He noticed her and gave her a weak smile. Tracy frowned as she took in his appearance. He didn't look so good.

"Grandpa, are you okay?" Tracy asked.

He coughed harshly.

"I'll be fine. What's going on?" He asked.

Again, Tracy went over the details; President Edson listening intently.

"Be careful. It could be a trap. If Joshua is as clever as you say he is, then he'll no doubt have some sort of elaborate scheme cooked up for whoever tries to rescue them," President Edson warned.

"I figured, which is why we're taking Agent Takeda with us. Rest well," Tracy told him.

With a nod, President Edson continued on to his apartment while Tracy finally entered the parking arcade. General McLean arrives shortly after with Agent Takeda; a Japanese man. He was decked out in all black clothing.

"He told me everything. Let's get our Agents back here safely."

* * *

Ted paced back and forth in his cell, nervously awaiting his demise. He hadn't heard a peep out of Joshua or Elizabeth since they had left the area. Ed stayed in the room, keeping an eye on Ted. Ted stopped pacing, and observed Ed. He didn't look all that smart. Maybe Ted could persuade him somehow.

"So... Ed, what's Joshua got on you?" Ted asked.

"Excuse me?" Ed asked, turning his attention to his prisoner.

"Come on, surely a guy like you has something that is worth saving. You're being blackmailed, aren't you?"

Ed cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

"No."

Ted detected a hint of hesitancy. There was something; he just had to figure out what it was. Maybe he could use it to his advantage.

"Oh, well, I guess you can't seek redemption then; just like Anakin Skywalker did when he saved Luke from Senator Palpatine and Darth Sidious," Ted said, twiddling his thumbs as he spoke.

"What are you talking about?" Ed asked, unsure of where Ted was taking this conversation.

"Come on, I know the story. You were never a bad guy before , were you? The dark side just tempted you in to it. Joshua offered you something, but really, you're just as much his prisoner as I am," Ted continued.

Ed didn't speak, his mind going back to the events that led him to this situation. Finally, he looked up at Ted.

"No offers; he just threatened my mothers life if I didn't do what he asked," Ed opened up.

"Okay, see, now we're getting somewhere! Obviously, you don't want her to die, but you don't want to be doing this. So, why don't you just let me out of this cage, and we can take this guy down together?" Ted suggested.

Ed folded his arms across his chest, looked down at his feet, then up again in the direction that Joshua had dragged Elizabeth off to. Sighing, he dropped his arms.

Approaching Teds cell, Ed unlocked it.

"He's got her tied up in his room; doing God knows what. I'll go in there and keep his attention on me while you get her out. But we got to be quick," Ed explained.

Opening the cage, Ed let Ted out. Ted walked out and gave Ed a nod as a thanks. Together, the two went to save Elizabeth.

Tracy, General McLean and Agent Takeda arrived back at the location, and Tracy led the two down to the tunnel. They were swift, yet quiet in their steps. They approached the entrance in to the prison, and Tracy peeked her head around the corner. The cage and room were empty. Where was Ted?!

"Oh god, I don't even want to know what's happening to Ted right now. We've got to get to him," Tracy gasped.

She rushed in to the empty room with General McLean and Agent Takeda, then they disappeared down the dark hall. As they walked, they heard voices.

"...I'm not saying the Canucks are going to win, but they're going to win," Ed said.

"Do you honestly think that I want to talk sports right now? I'm waiting for that cute little scientist to bring back a whole bunch of agents, ya know," Joshua spoke up.

"I know, but I figured 'we got time to kill until then', and since you don't want to kill anyone until they're all here..." Ed finished with a shrug.

Tracy cringed at the comment that Joshua made about her. There was no chance in hell that she'd ever shack up with him.

On the other side of the room, Ted snuck along in the dark, when he bumped in to someone else. He froze, fearing that it was Joshua.

"Ted, this is Agent Takeda. Don't worry, we'll get you and Agent Striker out of here," Agent Takeda whispered.

"Listen, we all have to be quick. This guy is a lunatic," Ted whispered back.

He didn't explain as Agent Takeda was off to get Elizabeth, who was tied up in a chair. Ted kept an eye on Ed and Joshua, who were in debate over sports. Ted furrowed his brows in confusion. Weren't most bad guys pretty focused on only one thing? Why was Joshua wasting time on something so trivial?

Agent Takeda disappeared out of the room with Elizabeth, Tracy and General McLean; Ted aware that they had left. He kept thinking about what he would do if he was in Joshua's shoes. Then, a lightbulb went off in his head. This was his plan! Joshua knew!

"Guys wait!" Ted cried out.

But it was too late. He heard cries of pain, and he watched in horror as he followed Joshua and Ed out of the room and in to the tunnel. General McLean, Agent Takeda and Elizabeth were all unconscious on the ground; Tracy just about to walk into the tunnel.

"Tracy, stop!"

Ted grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in to the prison room, then outstretched his hand and created a barrier to prevent Joshua from coming in to the room. Joshua snarled as the barrier went up; Ed making it to Teds side.

"How'd you get out of your cage?" Joshua asked, angered.

Ted smirked and nodded at Ed, who nodded back in acknowledgment. Joshua grimaced at the exchange.

"You'll pay for this; the both of you!" Joshua yelled.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Ted replied.

Ted turned to Tracy, who was observing the invention that Joshua has created.

"Can you figure out how to shut it down?" Ted asked.

"I think so... maybe. This is very complicated, Ted," Tracy replied.

Ted turned to face Joshua.

"Shut it down," Ted ordered.

Joshua scoffed.

"I mean it! Shut it down!"

"Would if I could, but since you put up this barrier, everything I need is on your side. It's not like I'd do it anyways. Besides, it's too late," Joshua replied with a smirk.

Ted looked over to Elizabeth and the others.

* * *

 _"Dad, are you okay?" Penny asked._

 _Ted wiped away tears as he sat at his desk._

 _"Sorry, it's just a bit too much," Ted apologized to his kids._

 _"Oh my god, dad... did... did she actually...?" Luke stammered._

 _Ted nodded._

 _"Well... what happened? How did you and mom survive?" Penny questioned._

 _Ted took a deep breath and regained his composure._

 _"Well, I'm not exactly proud of what I did next..."_

"Elizabeth?" Ted called out.

There was no response. She did not move; neither did the other two.

"Elizabeth?" He called out a second time.

Still, the response was the same. Ted glared over at Joshua, who had a smug look on his face. Anger set in, and Ted felt an intense pressure build in his body; threatening to burst forth.

"Noooo!" Ted yelled out.

His powers ignited, Ted created a large sledgehammer and sent it swinging down on the invention that Joshua creates; destroying it completely. His barrier came down, and Joshua came rushing at Ted.

"Ted!" Tracy shouted.

Conjuring up lights, Tracy forced them to explode; blinding Joshua before he could attack Ted!

"Argh!" Joshua yelled out in pain.

"Tracy, Ed, get them out of here. I'm going to take care of this bastard," Ted snarled.

Ed and Tracy rushed to Elizabeth, General McLean and Agent Takeda. Joshua got to his feet and curled his hands in to fists.

"Come on, Mosby, let's fight it out without the use of your powers. Think you can take me on without them?" Joshua asked.

"Let's find out."

Ted approached, then ducked to avoid Joshua's fist that swung at him. Ted sent his fist in to Joshua's gut, causing Joshua to gasp for air. He grabbed Ted around the waist and tackled him to the ground, straddling him and punching Ted in the jaw!

Ted grabbed Joshua's fists before they came raining down on his face again, and he shoved the man off of him. Getting to his feet, Ted kicked Joshua away from him, only for Joshua to grab Teds foot and use his own momentum against him; throwing Ted back down on the floor.

Ted could feel that he was losing the fight. He wasn't a very strong fighter, and had only been in two fights before ever knowing about IAA. He felt his heart stop when Joshua pulled out a gun and aimed it down on Ted; resting his foot on top of his chest. Ted winced under the pressure of Joshua's boot. Joshua grinned.

"You should have stayed in New York with your friends," Joshua commented.

Ted thought about Marshall, Lily, Robin and Barney, and thought about how devastated they would be if he died. Ted couldn't let this happen; he couldn't die. He focused his energies on creating an object, while Joshua took the safety off of his gun.

"Any last words?" Joshua asked, aiming his gun at Teds head.

Ted nodded.

"Just one: lightsaber!"

Joshua turned around, just in time to see a lightsaber-esque weapon that Ted has created, come swinging at him! No time to dodge it, Joshua was smacked with it, and was sent flying across the room. He hit a wall, and blacked out on impact.

Sighing in relief, Ted got to his feet and dusted himself off. Tracy and Ed ran in to the room; having finished taking the others out of the tunnel and to the surface. They saw Joshua's unconscious body on the ground.

"Is he...?" Tracy started.

Ted nodded, then looked at her.

"Alive, yeah. Come on," Ted looked down at the unconscious figure on the floor, then returned his gaze to Tracy.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

SCARBOROUGH, TORONTO

July 24, 2007

The skies were dark and cloudy; rain pouring from the heavens. Ted was dressed in all black as he stood sombrely in front of a tombstone.

 _ELIZABETH JANE STRIKER_

 _June 14 1994- July 21 2007_

"Man, I don't even know what to say..." Ted started.

A soft feminine hand rested on his shoulder, and Ted took it in his, as he looked down at Tracy.

"It's okay," She reassured.

Ted gave her a grateful, yet sad smile, then looked back down at the tombstone.

"It's been a heck of an adventure. If it wasn't for you, I never would have found out about what I could do. My life won't ever be the same, that's for sure. Thanks, Elizabeth, for everything. I hope wherever you are, you're happy," Ted spoke.

Looking at Tracy again, Ted nodded that he was good to go. They walked off in the rain; Tracy protecting them with a yellow umbrella. They held hands as they walked to the four people that were standing off in the distance. Approaching, Ted was embraced by Marshall, Lily, Robin and Barney.

Though he hadn't known her for long, Ted grieved over Elizabeth. Though she was not a close friend, she left a huge impact on Ted. Because of her, Ted was more brave, more sure of himself and his abilities. He promised to use his powers for good, and use them to better the world.

 _"And that, kids, is how I met a spy," Ted finished the story._

 _Penny and Luke didn't say anything; their eyes fixated on their dad. Neither of them knew what to say. They had known their dad to not be one for uncomfortable conversations, but the two of them got the feeling that this story was a way for their dad to express his grief. Ted was worn down; years of loss finally taking their toll on him._

 _As they all sat in silence, Ted looked over at a picture on his desk. The picture depicted him at a younger age, with Robin, Barney, Marshall and Lily all sitting at that booth in McLarens Pub. They were all happy; smiling like they didn't have a care in the world. Ted smiles briefly at the picture, and thought of simpler times._

* * *

 **The End**

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